Of Strength
by Kay-Gryffin
Summary: Kankuro doesn't know the truth of strength, and Hinata doesn't know real weakness. Can they teach each other what it really means to be strong? There are lemons. Not suggested for anyone under 18.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Of Weakness

**HELLO! **

**Well, this is my first fanfic that I'm publishing. It's KankuroxHinata. It's a kind of short chapter, but I'm just working my way up.  
**

**Disclaimer: despite what I'd LIKE, I don't own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. **

**By the way, I welcome constructive criticism. I'd like to make this better if possible. **

**ON WITH THE STORY! **

Kankurō was not a fan of weaknesses. It probably had something to do with the fact that as the Kazekage's first-born son, he'd had no room to allow himself leisurely activities. From age four, Kankurō was taught that killing was something he would always have to do. He slept with a kunai under his pillow and defended himself. Anything about him that was considered to be weak was scrutinized intensively and dealt with brutally. He shivered when he remembered getting beaten horribly for asking for something as so simple as a bandage for a small scrape on his knee.

Kankurō's weaknesses were hidden by him. Fear of being hurt? He became a long-distanced fighter; using puppetry and poisoned blades. Fear of his brother, Gaara? He stopped trying to be an older brother, distancing himself from his family to the point that the three siblings were nothing more than familiar strangers. Fear of his father? He simply avoided him, picking his sensei Baki to be his father figure. Fear of being recognized for having fears? He became a skeptic of anything he considered to be weak.

He was, therefore, a skeptic of a small, dark-haired girl who was sitting two rows from him during the Chūnin examinations. One look at her, one notice of a deep blush plaguing her unusually pale cheeks and nervousness crossing her beautiful large eyes, and Kankurō automatically thought that she was a weakling.

And he didn't even know her _name_.

Of course, Kankurō found her name to be inconsequential. He doubted that he would see her again, after that first exam. She was meek and fragile. A delicate flower that had no business amongst the field of weeds that was the world of shinobi. Kankurō considered himself to be amongst the ugliest weeds of them all, after his siblings and his father. The things that he'd done in the fourteen years of life were inexcusable by any means of his imagination.

He was proven wrong. She made it through the second exam. Scratched and bruised; but whole.

Kankurō found his eyes drawn to her short frame, watching her push her index fingers together in the shy, childlike form. She hunched forwards slightly; bunching up her shoulders. Obviously a subconscious form of protection on her part, Kankurō knew that. Everything about her seemed to _scream_ fear and weaknesses. He could break her like a toothpick; crush her like a bug. He almost hated her enough to do it.

He had no idea why he hated her, though. And Kankurō wasn't one to hate needlessly. It wasn't that he didn't have enough hatred to go around; he had plenty. But he wasn't one to act without reason, except when he wanted to show off in a fight but even then it was to make the opposition feel inferior to his skills.

He might not be a fan of weakness, but he wasn't one to fully hate it either.

He watched her as she viewed the exams, almost against his will. She didn't even realize that he was staring at her the entire time, choosing not to pay matches more attention than necessary. Despite his looks, Kankurō was very intelligent in the area of information-gathering, and mentally he sized up every person to the exactness of their strength. But he wasn't sizing her up, he was simply watching her. They way she reacted. The way she fidgeted. It was enticing and, beyond that, exciting. He wasn't sure if it were his blatant hatred for her or for his lack of experiences with the female gender that was doing these things to him.

"Pay attention," growled Gaara. Kankurō knew better than to ignore the twelve-year-old murderer besides him. Despite their blood relation, Kankurō feared the sand-wielding shinobi. Gaara hated him for reasons that Kankurō didn't really know or understand. He remembered trying to be there for him as a child, though it was hard due to the fact that his father would restrain him and Temari from being in the same area of the household as the boy.

"Sure," replied Kankurō, turning his attention to the screen at the conclusion of the fight. _The Uzumaki kid, the blonde one; I guess he won against the seven-level dog kid_, thought Kankurō, _that makes him a seventh level or more. Maybe on the same level as that blue-shirted kid; the one Gaara's got his eye on…_ He watched the dog boy get carried off by medical nin before noticing the movement of the girl. He watched her move close to the dog boy, offering a tub. He raised an eyebrow. _She makes… medicine? Why is she not training to become a medical ninja instead…? She's far too gentle…_

He had his answer within the next moment. The board announced the next match to be Hyūga Hinata versus Hyūga Neji.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Of Worthiness

**Back again. I don't have any reviews yet; didn't really expect them. It's okay, I'm doing this for me. If someone happens to stumble upon this and likes it, then that's awesome! :) **

**DISCLAIMER: Um, I still don't own Naruto. Still not Masashi Kishimoto. But here, rest assured that Neji shall live.  
**

Kankurō watched Hinata as she relentlessly beat up the practice block from behind the tree. He'd fallen into the habit of watching her closely after she was released from intensive care. From what he understood from hearsay in the gossip lines of Konohagakure, something he found to be too extensive for a shinobi village; that she suffered a cardiac arrest after her fight with her cousin, and that her heart tissue was still damaged.

It surprised him when he followed her path from her home to the training grounds that first day.

It shouldn't have. He realized during the fight that while she was meek and nervous, should she have more faith in her capabilities she would be a formidable opponent. The two Hyūga had been more than evenly matched during their fight; it was just Neji's ability to get to her mentally that won him the match.

He didn't like Neji that much after that, but he couldn't understand why. Again, he didn't know the guy enough to hate him.

Hinata shrugged her shoulders, slipping off that garish tan coat. As the days of watching went on, Kankurō found that she was not just a delicate flower; but a beautiful one. From her large pale eyes to her trim waist, to her strong muscles within her arms and the fluid movements she made with her body as she struck; he found himself enamored with the sight of her. This was making his days.

The sick part was, he was only watching her for three days at that moment when he realized he was falling for a girl that he didn't even talk to.

It was the fifth day of his watching that he finally built up the nerve to actually talk to her; walking boldly into the training area about an hour into her endurance training. She was using the branch of a tree for pull-ups. The light sheen of sweat and her effortless movements nearly stole Kankurō's breath. He had no control over his quickly-beating heart as he watched, gape-mouthed, as the girl trained as hard as she could.

And he was taken out of his trance when she finally noticed him. She let out a shrill scream before letting go of the branch, dropping twelve feet onto her back. The disgracefulness of the fall seemed to bring Kankurō's body back under his control. He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He looked down at her, narrowing his eyes. He tried to keep his voice monotone, but he truthfully wanted to speak playfully. "Hey… you think I'm _that_ ugly?"

She blushed and shook her head quickly, closing her beautiful pale eyes. "I-I… I wasn't e-expecting to see y-you h-here," she whispered shyly, forcing herself to sit up despite the pain in her back. "Usually I-I am alone, s-so s-seeing anybody was a s-shock. I a-apologize for my b-behavior…"

"I didn't exactly announce my arrival, so I don't take it personally. Right now, anyways. You should've noticed me before, though. If we're trained to protect people as ninja, masters of the shadows and silence; what're you going to say when an enemy ninja sneaks up on you and kills your mark? 'Oh, sorry, he was just too quiet'?"

Her mouth gaped slightly, and he mentally cursed. _Damn, I need to work on my people skills. I sound like such a narcissistic asshole… _Kankurō readied to apologize, but she looked away, blushing. "I-I guess you're right. I-I've n-never thought about i-it b-before n-now."

Kankurō was shocked by the sudden fiery intensity in her eyes as she looked back at him after a moment of silence, her nervous blush still aflame in her cheeks. "D-Do it a-again."

"W-What?" stuttered Kankurō, confused.

"S-Sneak up o-on me… w-with intent to k-kill t-this time," she specified for him, getting to her feet. Her fist clenched and her eyes hardened, which contrasted with her flushed, round face and quivering bottom lip. _God, she's so beautiful_, thought Kankurō, not responding aloud to her question. She bit her lip before saying, "P-Please."

Kankurō was stuck in his state of shock. He hadn't expected her to be so adamant about such a task. _How can I come at her with intent to kill?_ The idea boggled him. He could, logistically speaking. He had many times while practicing with Temari and Baki. But they were… different. He and Temari were nothing more than familiar strangers, and he could never kill Baki even if he wanted to. But Hinata? Hinata wasn't like them, at all. She had neither the training nor skill. He could crush her like a bug.

He didn't want that.

But he didn't want to deny that face…

He sighed, slinging Crow off of his back and letting the wrapped puppet drop to the dirt ground with a dull thud. He looked up at her, his eyes seemingly tired and resigned. He _really_ didn't want to do this, but it seemed to be making her happy to see him cooperating. "I'm not going to repeat this, but, I'm not gonna go easy on you," he said, sighing. He figured she'd want that. "I'm gonna come at you with full strength. I don't care if you can't defend against me; you asked for my help and I am giving it to you. So don't complain if I end up handing your ass to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "I-I w-won't…"

A thought occurred to him, and his heart twinged slightly as he asked, "Do you even know my name?"

"N-No…" she responded, smiling sheepishly. "But I-I doubt y-you know mine… I-I'm not important enough t-to be known b-by shinobi like yourself…" _How ridiculous you are. How can someone not notice you?_

"Your name is Hinata. If you beat me, I'll let you know what my name is," said Kankurō, his hand tightening in the hairy top of Crow's showing head. He was strategizing; thinking of the best place to attack her from and how to attack her. Obviously, killing was not an option. It would go against the plan… the thought of that thing he'd agreed to made a pit in the bottom of his stomach. Crap, what if she were harmed…?

Kankurō forced the thought out of his head, wrapping his arms around the puppet and jumping out of sight into the tree line. He didn't stop until he reached the near top, still covered by dense tree leaves and thick branches. He set Crow down on its side now; unwrapping the puppet from the bindings. He connected chakra strings to his weapon, bringing the wooden figure to life.

He then began to play. His fingers danced and he closed his eyes. He had plotted out everything; he didn't need to even watch this. In a matter of seconds Crow would be sneaking up on the pale-eyed girl, and he would capture her within its arms. If he had Black Ant with him, he would use its hollow body to capture her, maybe scare her a little. Kankurō opened his eyes to stare up at the sky, looking at the bright sun that seemed so much harsher at home. God, he missed home. This weather was too mild for his tastes. He missed the heat…

He felt a disturbance, and then pain shot up his fingers. He hissed and looked down at his left hand, the source of his discomfort, and found the chakra strands literally forcing themselves back into his fingertips. His eyes widened. What did this girl…?

_The strings connected to Crow_.

Kankurō cursed and hopped out of his place, moving both swiftly and silently. He stayed a good twenty yards away from the clearing, hopefully out of the near three hundred sixty degrees of sight that this girl might have. He found himself behind her, crouching in a far away bush and disturbing a very meek squirrel. His puppet was splayed on the ground at the girl's feet, her back to him. She'd closed off the chakra points in his fingertips just by touching points on Crow, but she hadn't gotten to his right hand before he disconnected himself. He could feel the chakra dancing about under his skin on his fingers.

He could still use Crow.

But he wanted to do this by hand.

He pulled a senbon out of his back pouch, holding the poisoned needle carefully as not to harm himself. He held it tightly in his grasp, knowing the thin weapon would be hell to find if lost. He didn't usually use weapons like these; they were always on his puppets… but he was going to make an exception due to the nature of her attacks—staying far away wouldn't help, but maybe intimidation was a tactic he could explore. He found himself enjoying this, maybe far more than he should.

_I'm not a sadist, am I?_

* * *

Hinata looked down at the puppet before her, its cold wood almost stinging at her bared toes. She frowned as she stared at the wild-haired ninja weapon before her. _I wish he came at me himself. I'm more than comfortable with not being at the location of the fight, which is my problem… _She sighed. She was too kind, too caring. When she fought someone face to face, she feared showing her weaknesses. While the puppet had been fun to find and incapacitate, it was not the area in which she struggled.

She knew that this boy was a long-distanced fighter. It was no surprise to her; she'd analyzed the weaponry that the three visitors from Sunagakure had specialized in. None of them were suited for closed distancing, and while that was good for the Hinata she _was_, it wasn't good for the Hinata she _wanted_ to be. She sighed once again and reactivated her Byakugan, looking in her surroundings for an oncoming target.

_Maybe he has another puppet…? _A rustling in the brush distracted her from her thoughts, and she turned around just in time for the boy to rush her, attempting on tackling her to the ground. She barely moved out of the way in time, but her heart was beating too fast to focus on an attack to defend herself. _Oh, God, what do I do? _

The shinobi's teeth were clenched and a singular senbon was in his tight grip. "Don't give me that face, Goddammit!" he spat, making her flinch, "Think of something and fight me! Take me out like you did my puppet!"

_I want to, but I can't…_

He growled and rushed at her again, his speed catching her off-guard. She quickly grabbed a kunai from her weapons pouch and scarcely brought her hand up to protect herself from the senbon. It wasn't enough; he was all strength whereas she was not. They fell into a mess of bodies and sweaty skin, faces flushed and breath too hot for their own likings. This sand shinobi was on top of her, pressed against her in ways that made her tingle.

"You lose," he finally said with breath that smelled like… kiwis? Hinata sniffed without thinking, and the redness in his face kicked up. Had she… embarrassed him? _She _had embarrassed this large boy that was nearly crushing her with weight? Speaking of… she shifted uncomfortably under him, rotating her hips slightly. His breath was shaky and his eyes widened. "Oh… sorry."

"I-It's fine," she whispered as she felt herself yearning for his touch, feeling him leave the contours of her body. She hadn't realized how much she liked him being close to her. She stood up, awkwardly brushing herself down. He walked over to his puppet, fumbling with wraps that he took out of his weapons pouch. "I-I apologize for f-forcing you into such a s-situation."

"You didn't _force_ me into _any _situation. I was more than willing," he responded, not looking up at her.

"T-Then I a-apologize for m-my weakness," she said, hanging her head disappointedly. He looked at her now, eyes wide and flashing with annoyance. She wanted to apologize for that as well and begun to; before he rushed to her and covered her mouth with his hand roughly.

"Not another damn apology, Hyūga," he growled fiercely, "You've nothing to apologize for. You've made me work harder in a spar than I have in a damn long time, and you get the pleasure of saying that you did it. No one besides my siblings, sensei, and father can say that, and you should be damn proud of it. So do me a favor and stop apologizing to me." He let go of her mouth, and she wanted to hold that same hand.

"But I lost," she said simply.

"Only because I used my physical strength and forced you into close combat. You're a mid-to-long distanced fighter, Hinata-sama; like myself. It's simply that you're not expect to be with your Byakugan." He pressed a fingertip to her cheek, just below her right eye. "But you're an impersonal fighter. If I had kept my distance and attempted to keep operation of the puppet with one hand, you would've bested me easily."

"H-How do you know?"

He shrugged. "A monkey could figure it out." He turned his attentions back to his puppet, leaving them in silence. Hinata watched his careful bindings, fascinated by the care he showed his weaponized puppet. He wrapped it tightly, but somehow gently. _He is very lonely. He must consider that puppet to be what's closest to him…_

"Sabaku no Kankurō," said the puppeteer with a sigh, surprising Hinata.

"Uh… what?" asked Hinata, confused.

He sighed. "My name. It's Kankurō." He stood up, shoving the remainder of the bindings into his back pocket and hoisting his puppet onto his back once more. He looked up at the sky, seemingly content with the view. He closed his eyes and seemed to bask in the pleasant heat, though Hinata could tell by the frown on his face that he wished it were hotter. "I shall see you tomorrow, Hinata-sama."

"T-Tomorrow?" _He wishes to see me again?_

"Yes," he responded, now grinning slightly. He opened an eye and looked at her. "I have nothing better to do this week, and it'll be fun to teach you."

"T-Teach?" her voice squeaked.

"Yes," he said, now thoroughly amused. "From this point forwards… I will be your sensei in mid-to-long distance fighting, up until my departure after the Chūnin exams."

"A-Are you s-sure? I-I fear I-I'm not w-worthy…"

"Trust me, Hinata-sama, you're more than worthy."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Of Unbelief

**Hello! I want to say thanks to ****TheGirlWithNoIQ**** for that review! Thank you for that, it meant a lot to me to hear. I'm glad to know that my story is appreciated! **

**Here comes the third chapter! I hope everyone likes it! I will admit that I had some trouble writing it, so if it's kind of hard to read I apologize; and you can feel free to review it to tell me how to make it better. **

**DISCLAIMER: I am not Masashi Kishomoto or VIZ media, nor am I Shonen Jump. Therefore, I do not own Naruto nor do I have any affiliation with its animation team or its publishing team. **

**ENJOY!**

Hinata was stuck in the same place for a few silent moments after the Sand shinobi left her alone in the training area. Her eyes were wide, and if she had pupils they would be dilated. She was, in a word, shocked. It was the only way to explain her feelings over the moment that had just occurred. It was not the obvious electrical current that had passed between them when they were tangled together after he tackled her that induced this state of awe, though it was certainly a part of it.

No. It was the fact that he thought she was worth effort.

She wasn't used to hearing it. Of course, it was obvious that most people she was acquainted with felt she was worth effort; otherwise she would not be bothered with. What she had heard, instead from family, was more along the lines that she would never be valued as a kunoichi, much less as a woman. It had beaten her down all these years, and sadly all she knew how to do was take the abusive words.

She channeled it into her trainings, and it seemed to take her nowhere.

Hinata sighed. _Stop it. You held out as long as you could. Kurenai-sensei is very proud of you. So are Kiba and Shino and Akamaru and Naruto…_

_But not Father… _But, then again, her father was never proud of her, no matter how hard she tried for him. It ached at her heart to think of him, a man who held little to no care for her. And she knew in her heart that it was her own fault he felt this way; she'd been a failure as a daughter. She deserved the treatment. She believed it with every fiber of her being that she deserved the disrespect of her own father.

This was another reason why she trained the way she did. While he wasn't physically violent with her, emotionally and mentally he was. She channeled all of those feelings of self-resentment and anger into the wooden practice dummy; relentlessly pummeling it. It was one of the few times she could let herself be free; let herself be _Hinata_. She didn't worry about how she looked or how people were viewing her while training. She didn't have to.

She felt an old scar on the inside of her right palm open up, and she felt warm, sticky liquid dripping down her wrist. Blood. It was a rather deep gash, one that she hadn't been very good with stitching up due to the fact that she was not left-handed. She wasn't keen to go to hospitals; if she did she would have to explain the reasons of how she'd gotten such an injury. And, since she was technically on bed rest, she was not going to go to a hospital to be told to stay in bed.

She didn't have time for this.

And, besides… the pain made her concentrate. So she carried on, gritting her teeth as the pain steadily increased. She even upped her pace, determined to make herself stronger. Her vision became unfocused and blurred as she expended herself. _Damn it, I can't be tired now!_ She thought, her body begging her to stop. She pushed herself forwards, now using chakra. She pretended the wooden dummy was an actual person. _If I can't do any damage… I shall… _

"_Hinata_!" yelled a sharp male voice. She flinched and whipped around, wishing she were wearing her tan jacket. Kiba and Shino stood near the brush, her jacket in Kiba's hands. Akamaru, Kiba's small puppy, pushed himself out of his jacket hood and darted over to Hinata. When he reached her, he put his front paws on her shin and whined. Hinata crouched down and petted his creamy white fur with her left hand; not wanting to smear her blood on the dog's fur. He angled his head to touch her right hand, sniffing it. He barked back at Kiba, and all she could do was sigh.

"Yeah, Akamaru, I smell it," responded Kiba, jogging over to the pair and grabbing her right wrist sharply, sitting down next to her. His eyes widened as he took in the injury, and he hissed, "Hinata…"

"I-It's not that b-bad," she responded.

Shino silently joined his team, crouching next to the female member and staring at the wound through his sunglasses. "It is that bad, Hinata. I'm surprised you haven't bled out yet, because it needs stitches." His eyes shifted towards her face, she could feel it. His stare always gave people an itchy, crawly feeling on their skin; even when he wasn't trying to creep someone out. She had gotten used to the stare, but she could still feel it. "It needs _professional_ stitches," he specified.

She shook her head vigorously. "N-No! No h-hospital!"

Shino stared at her for a fraction of a second more. "Hinata, please… don't do this to yourself. It isn't healthy."

"I-I am n-not going to a h-hospital!" she said again, yelping out when Kiba touched his fingertip to the long wound.

"You really should," he whispered. She simply shook her head again, biting her lip. He sighed. "Shino… do we have something? Needle or something?"

Shino sighed now, pulling his sunglasses off of his face and letting his teammates see exactly how he was feeling. Hinata knew that he wasn't the best with expressing his emotions with facial expressions due to his training as an Aburame, but his eyes still expressed everything. He didn't like this. It actually made him upset to see her like this. And he was also mad that he had to do this, had to fix her; just because she didn't want anybody with medical skills to find out. It was only because he cared for her that he was mad at her, and it was the same case with Kiba.

Begrudgingly, with interjected murmurs of 'you should go see a doctor', the two boys cleaned up the wound of their precious teammate's hand, closing the wound effectively and taking care of the smeared, drying blood that covered Hinata's hand and wrist. She was thankful that she was not wearing her precious jacket; she wasn't sure what she would do if that had been covered with dried blood.

"We were coming to find you to ask you if you would like to go to lunch today with us," said Shino in a quiet voice, now choosing not to note on the wound.

"W-What about your training?" asked Hinata.

"I don't want to over stress my body," he responded, "I've already trained five times this week. I shall rest both myself and my bugs today. I shall relax." He gave a small smile. "Though this is not something I would identify as relaxation, Hina-chan."

"Thank you for this," she said, "A-And I am s-sorry."

"We already forgave you," Kiba responded, smiling reassuringly at her, "And it's no problem. So how about lunch? Because I think I'm in the mood for some zenzai… and cinnamon rolls." She smiled to herself. Silly Kiba. He was trying to tempt her into sharing lunch with them by using her favorite foods.

"You hate zenzai. And you hate cinnamon rolls." She looked towards her bespectacled friend. "And you hate it, too."

"Okay, okay… but we can go to Kurenai's house and have our own favorite foods in the privacy of her kitchen!" said Kiba, smiling and sticking his tongue out. "And we can talk! We haven't talked in a long time!"

"Two weeks, Kiba," sighed Shino; always one for factual responses.

Kiba stuck a tongue out at his friend, and Hinata could only giggle at the two boys and nod her response.

* * *

She hated when she had to go home.

It wasn't that anything bad happened to her, per say. In fact, she was treated very well at home. Nobody hit her. Nobody yelled at her. Nobody really talked to her; only because Hyūgas were never really ones for any type of polite conversations. Strictly speaking, she should love coming home.

But she didn't. It was because she thought that nobody believed in her. Her sister, Hanabi, was favored by her father. Her cousin Neji believed her to be a weakling and unworthy of the power of the Byakugan. And her own father… her father barely looked at her. The only reasons she stayed were because of Hanabi and Kō, her bodyguard.

Hanabi plowed into Hinata as soon as she came home, much like she always did. Hanabi spent a large majority of her time in the Hyūga complex; whereas Hinata was free to go about the village as she pleased. It was probably one of the very few things she would be jealous of Hinata over, if not the only thing in Hinata's opinion.

Hanabi smiled at her sister, which was something only reserved for her. Hanabi was rather serious for a seven-year-old, with eyes like her father's and usually an emotionless mask of a face; a hard line down its middle that was referred to as a mouth. It was a relief to see that she was capable of turning her lips upwards into a smile; as she was quite pretty. She gave her sister's midsection a tight squeeze before letting go, grabbing her hand instead.

And she frowned when she noticed the sloppy bandages around her palm. Her tone became icy. "Hinata, who hurt you?" she said in a dangerous low tone.

"N-No one!" cried Hinata, pulling her hand out of her grip.

Her eyes widened. "Did you do that to yourself?! Let me see it!" she ordered, grabbing her older sister's hand and yanking her forwards, unwrapping the bandaging and opening up the fresh and swollen cut to the air, making Hinata wince. Hanabi ran her roughened fingertip along its sewn surface with a touch like a feather. She noticed slight bruising on the inside of her hands. "Have you been training?"

"Yes…"

"The doctors said you shouldn't be!" cried Hanabi, her eyes getting wider if possible. She looked incredibly worried. "Hinata, your heart muscles are still damaged! You need to give yourself time to heal!"

"I-I am f-fine!" said Hinata.

"Well, you're not gonna be if you keep harming yourself like this! You may be a shinobi and shinobi may be strong, but you're not a god! If you keep working on getting stronger to this extent, you'll probably destroy yourself!" Hanabi sucked in a breath, trying to calm herself down. "Please promise me you will not train yourself like this, at least until your heart is better," she finished with a whisper.

"I need to," whispered Hinata.

"You don't! You have nothing to prove, to anyone! Don't you see that?"

"You're wrong," said Hinata, sighing and turning her back on her little sister, suddenly exhausted. Hanabi had no idea how wrong she was in Hinata's mind. Hinata believed that everyone babied her, that no one respected her as a kunoichi. She believed that she needed to prove that she could change, that she could no long be weak as she was.

What Hinata couldn't believe was that those people she needed to prove that her weakness didn't control her; already believed that she was the strongest person they could meet.

She just couldn't see it yet.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Of Family, Part One

**Back again with the next chapter! I noticed a small aging mistake I made with Hanabi in the last chapter; I'll take care of it. She's supposed to be seven, not nine. **

**Oh, and ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: thank you! Hanabi's kind of hard to work with since so little is really known about her. The next chapter will encompass the relationship of Hinata's family, and over the ordeal of her mother. So, more Hanabi! :D**

**In this chapter, I gave a kind of look into some of Kankuro's childhood. I felt it was necessary to show the type of person he is in this story. I also improvised with the aging of Temari and Kankuro, seeing as how Masashi Kishomoto never quite touches on the subject of their ages. All that's really known is that they're older than Gaara, so I had to play around with it try and make it work in the chapter. Not sure if it quite worked, but HEY! I tried. :) **

**In other news, I don't own Naruto. Yeah, I think it's obvious, but I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea. I'm just some fangirl playing around with a bunch of characters that aren't even hers :) *giggles***

**BTW: Otouto means "Little Brother". Ojisan is "Uncle". Okaasan is "Mother". Otousan is "Father". **

**ENJOY! Feel free to criticize! I welcome chances to better my writing! **

Kankurō sat on top of the wooden training stump, arms crossed and eyes closed. A passerby might think he was meditating. But anybody who knew of his habits knew he was pouting.

He was upset that the Hyūga girl was late.

Yesterday, when he left, he expected that the girl would have gone home jumping for joy. It was what a girl back in his own village would've done, if it meant they got to go near the danger that was Gaara. He had no idea what it was with pre-pubescent (or of any age) girls with crushing on dangerous guys, but they did. Like moth to a flame, girls were attracted to Gaara, despite his raccoon-like features and usual pissed-off stare. It slightly irritated Kankurō, but he sometimes used this to his advantage.

They usually were never late.

Kankurō was one for punctuality. He hated being late to anything, especially something he considered to be important. He might laze about, but he was always on time, if not slightly early. For this, a matter he considered to be of importance, he was early by twenty-five minutes.

And she was late by fifteen minutes.

Now sixteen minutes.

He had hoped that when he asked her to train, that she would figure that he meant at the same time that she usually did: ten AM. He had realized that the timing of her training was actually better than he thought: at ten AM, while the sun was fully out, it didn't induce a heavy sweat because there was still a morning chill in the air.

He felt foreign chakra enter the training area, making his spike unexpectedly. He opened an eye to see the Hyūga jogging towards him, her breaths in little pants. While he was irritated at her tardiness, he was happy to see her. She made his heart do these weird skips in his chest that he actually enjoyed feeling. All he wanted to do when seeing her was grabbing her; pulling her tightly into him and never letting go.

Obviously, he couldn't do _that_. He'd weird her out.

"Hinata-sama," he greeted, instead going for a tight-lipped teacher approach. "You are sixteen minutes and forty seven seconds late." She seemed shocked that he would count the amount by which she was late. _Crap, do senseis not do that here? _Every sensei he had ever had told him to the exact increment of which he was late, hence the counting of time. He hadn't thought anything of it, having been around it his entire life.

"I… I-I'm sorry," she apologized, bowing so deeply that he thought that her head would hit her kneecaps. "I-I was late w-waking up this m-morning."

"Stand up," ordered Kankurō, finding himself feeling giddy when she followed his command, standing up tall with reddened cheeks. He figured that all the blood was rushing to her head due to the bow, and he wasn't exactly keen to see her pass out before they did any work. _Wow, she looks really pretty with red cheeks_, he thought for the umpteenth time, gulping dryly. _I just want to kiss her cheeks right now and see if they'll warm up more…_

"K-Kankurō-s-sempai?" she said, bringing him back from his thoughts.

"Ah!" he said, flinching when she had spoken. He coughed awkwardly when he realized that she had surprised him. _The things she does to me_… "Okay. So, start off by telling me how far away you can see with your Byakugan," he said, his own cheeks heating up. He was glad the face paint stopped her from seeing the redness.

"O-Oh. Um…" She pushed her index fingers together as she thought, wrinkling her brow. "M-Maybe fifty m-meters? I d-don't truly know f-for s-sure… I-I don't r-remember s-seeing v-very far…" She trailed off, seemingly lost in her own memories. Her eyes narrowed, and she fisted her hands so tightly that she almost drew blood, instead giving herself crescent-shaped bruises on the inside of her hands.

"That's fine," replied Kankurō, noting that she seemed to begin to berate herself right in front of him. He knew that couldn't be healthy. _What kinds of things has happened to her that she feels the need to harm herself without even thinking about it?_ His words seemed to snap her out of her slight daze, and she replied with a small smile that took his breath. _Oh, God…_ Kankurō gulped and pointed. "I, uh, I put some targets in the tree line. I want you to stand in the middle of the clearing and tell me exactly where they are."

"O-Okay. Why?" she asked. He blinked. He hadn't expected her to not understand his reasoning right away. He figured it was kind of straight forward, but maybe she'd never had this kind of test before… another thing that was different between the trainings of Konohagakure and Sunagakure.

"I want to see exactly how far of a range you can handle," he replied. "Back home, they'd just place them on poles that were a couple of meters apart each. But you've got a lot more… plant life here, so I've adapted for you." Kankurō grabbed his hand, taking a millisecond to revel in its soft warmth; before bringing her to the middle, keeping his hand in hers. "It doesn't matter if I stand here, does it?"

"N-No… I-I'll see r-right through y-you…" she responded in a quiet whisper, staring down at his hand. He dry swallowed again when she looked up at him through her lashes. _She has no idea how…_

_…attractive he is_… thought Hinata, resisting the urge to raise his hand to her mouth and kiss it. She had no idea why she wanted to, but she did. Any thoughts she might have about Uzumaki Naruto, her longtime crush; were out of her mind at the moment, staring into Kankurō's chocolate brown eyes. She couldn't detect the emotions in his eyes as he stared at her, but she could feel the obvious electrical current that seemed to travel through their joint digits.

Kankurō coughed, drawing her back to reality. "Hinata-sama, may we begin?" he asked in that husky voice she couldn't seem to get enough of. She blinked and blushed, incredibly embarrassed that she was having such thoughts about Kankurō, son of the Kazekage. She used that embarrassment as a drive to impress him. _Maybe he shall notice me if I make him think well of my abilities… or lack thereof… nevertheless, I will try to please him_, she thought, activating her Byakugan.

Kankurō watched the kekkei genkai with great curiosity. He had always wondered what it would be like to be tied to family be more than flesh and blood; but by entire sects of jutsu. Would it have made him closer with his siblings, maybe? His father?

Maybe his uncle would still be alive…

Kankurō winced at the imagery of Yashamaru's kind face. Several years later, and it still hurt to remember his mother's younger brother. The man he first considered to be a true father. He remembered Yashamaru showing him Gaara for the first time. He'd been about three when his youngest sibling entered his life, about a year after his actual birth. Kankurō remembered seeing a little redhead teetering about, trying to walk for the first time by himself.

"My otouto is cute!" cried Kankurō, rushing away from Temari to grab his younger brother.

"Kanky, Kanky," said Yashamaru worriedly, grabbing the young boy by the waist and pulling him away from the baby, trying to keep the sand from attacking him. Kankurō looked up at his uncle, ready to start crying at the harshness of Yashamaru's protection. His blue gaze instantly softened on the young boy, and he smiled. "He's still little, Kanky. He might be walking, but he's still a baby. You can't just rush at him."

"I apologize, Ojisan!" wailed Kankurō instantly, wrapping his arms around his uncle's waist. Yashamaru snickered at his dramatics and pried the young boy's arms off of him. Kankurō's eyes watered. "It's just that I got so excited… because he's what's left of Okaasan."

Yashamaru smiled down at his nephew, pressing a kiss onto the child's forehead. "I understand, Kanky… but he's still so tiny, even for his age. I don't want you to hurt him."

"Father says he can't be hurt!" interjected Temari. Kankurō remembered her being quite attuned with the rules during her childhood. His sister, older than him by only eleven months. By all intents and purposes in his mind, they were twins. Of course, his uncle told him repeatedly that they were not, but she wasn't a full year apart like other non-twin siblings, he secretly considered her to be a twin sister.

"Of course he can, he's human and he's a baby!" argued Kankurō.

"He's got that sand! It keeps him safe from everything!" said Temari before crossing her arms smugly. "I really doubt little Kankurō can hurt Gaara-san. I bet even now he's stronger than you. Did you know Kankurō cried when he stubbed his toe this morning? I bet Father will lash you for it when he finds out!" Kankurō's body went stiff at the thought of the whip striking him again. His small eyes widened to their full extent, and he stopped breathing. _No! Not another beating! It was only once! I won't do it again!_ He could already hear himself trying to beg the words as his father would tie him down…

"_Temari_!" said Yashamaru sharply, interrupting the girl's threats. He visibly tried to regain his composure, but he was obviously enraged by his young niece's threats. She raised an eyebrow, not used to being yelled at. "Unless you are here to greet your baby brother… please report to your Baki-sensei for your training. I believe he is teaching you wind-styled ninjutsu today."

Her face seemed to brighten at the idea of training. She didn't even bid her family good-bye; she simply flounced out of the room and barked at the guards to follow her. Yashamaru sighed, visibly relieved that she was gone. He ruffled Kankurō's hair, bringing the boy back to the physical world. He smiled at his nephew, making Kankurō smile as well.

"Baah!" cried out a small voice. Kankurō flinched and saw the tiny baby Gaara, sitting and holding his arms out. Kankurō stared at the boy, as if apprehensive to go near the red-headed baby. Gaara curled his fingers in towards his palm and stretched, trying to reach out for the brown-haired boy before him. Yashamaru rubbed his back reassuringly.

"Go ahead. He wants you near him. I will be next to you; don't worry," he whispered into Kankurō, gently pushing the boy in the direction of the baby. Gaara squirmed, jade colored eyes locked on Kankurō. Taking small, tentative steps, he moved forwards towards his little brother, finally sitting on his knees in front of him.

"Hi," whispered Kankurō in the quietest voice he'd ever spoken, holding his hand out. The sand wrapped around his wrist, causing him to suck in a breath in fear. He looked back at Yashamaru, who simply smiled at him and nodded. He looked back at his little brother, keeping his eyes off of the sand. As quickly as it had rushed forwards, it rushed away, seemingly okay with the idea of Kankurō making contact with the baby. He pressed his hand softly against Gaara's fleshy cheek, causing the baby to give him a toothless grin.

"Kaa!" cried out Gaara, grabbing his brother's wrist with his small baby hands. Kankurō smiled in relief that his little brother liked him.

He felt Yashamaru's soft hand on Kankurō's back as he knelt down next to him, holding out a teddy bear for Gaara to take from him. Gaara grabbed it awkwardly with his left hand, not letting go of Kankurō for even a second. He forced himself to stand up and stumbled over to Kankurō's lap, sitting with his back against Kankurō's chest. He felt something like brotherly pride explode in his chest.

"My Gaara-otouto," whispered Kankurō, brushing some of the red locks behind his little ear and leaning over him, kissing his little forehead. The baby giggled, enjoying the affection Kankurō showered him with. "Ojisan?"

"Hmm?" asked Yashamaru.

"Was Okaasan and Otousan ever like this with me?" he asked, not looking up from Gaara's head.

"Your okaasan was very affectionate with you. She loved you dearly; like she did Temari," said Yashamaru, instantly jumping to his late sister's defense. Tears dripped down Kankurō's cheeks freely, seemingly confusing his uncle. Kankurō didn't say anything; but he noticed the lack of response on the note of his father.

His father had never cared about him.

* * *

"K-Kankuro-sempai," said a tiny female voice, bringing Kankurō back from his thoughts with a jolt. He blushed again when he realized that he was still holding her hand. He yanked his away, as if he had been burnt. He immediately regretted it when he saw the hurt in her eyes, but thankfully she didn't note on it. It was for the best anyways, Kankurō figured. He didn't want to get very close to her. Teaching her, making her better; that was all he could handle and all he could give.

"Yes, Hinata-sama?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck through his cat hat. He could feel the tension, and it made him feel itchy to think he'd caused it by letting go of her hand. _What does it mean? Does she feel the same way as me…? No, she couldn't. She was just cold… yes, that's it… after all, who can love someone like me? _"Have you finished? You can take as much time as you'd like with the exercise."

"I-I know, b-but… I've b-been d-doing this f-for fifteen minutes, and I-I think I-I've found all I-I c-can." She smiled softly, looking down at her feet. It was incredibly cute and endearing on her. He wanted to tip her head back up and kiss her.

"Okay. How many have you found?" _Stop thinking that way of her! _

"I-I only found six." She sounded sad at the prospect. His eyes just widened. _Six? I'd only clearly saw two! Does she not know how amazing this is?_

"Hey, hey, chin up! This is a very good thing!" said Kankurō quickly, not able to handle seeing her sad. "It's an amazing thing, actually. Wow, a sixty meter range!"

She blinked and looked up. "W-What?"

_Wrong village, wrong village,_ he reminded himself harshly. He closed his eyes. "Uh, sorry. I, um, I'm still getting used to being in Konoha. They teach you surprisingly little about ranged fighting." He opened his eyes as he found the words to speak. "This exercise is to find how far away you can be from a fight without losing sight of the enemy. I put them all ten meters away from each other; and there are ten in total. Most people only see twenty meters, which is within mid-to-long.

"Yours however, is amplified due to the Byakugan. With your Byakugan's vision, you can see sixty meters in front of you, making you probably the best long ranged fighter that will ever exist! Which means… you're perfect for the type of jutsu I'd like to teach you."

"W-What d-do you w-want to teach me?"

"I want to teach you two things. One is really important _and _very tedious, so we will work it into the second. The second is the ninja art of… puppetry!"

She raised an eyebrow. "P-Puppets?" she asked him incredulously.

"Hey, don't knock a puppet!" said Kankurō, smiling down at his student. "Besides, it requires great chakra control to use a puppet, and seeing as how your clan's whole business is exact flows of chakra, you're probably the best at it." He motioned for her to sit in front of him, taking his own directive at the same time. "Besides, it's great because they're easily adaptable to the first thing I mentioned!"

"W-Which is…?"

"A Nature release!" said Kankurō, pulling several sheets of paper out of his weapons pouch, spreading them in front of her. He held one out to her in his hand, encouraging her to take one. "Every ninja has an affinity towards an element. These papers help test out one's affinity. They are special chakra paper. They have a reaction towards every element. It's the five basic ones; the ones each country is named after. Lightning, Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire." She nodded, seemingly understanding what he was saying; giving him the courage to keep on. "I want to see your affinity so I can make you a puppet out of the wood this paper is made from… there's not a lot of 'em, but there's one in Suna that's dying. I have already staked my claim to it."

She immediately shook her head. "I-I couldn't… t-take y-your tree…"

He waved it off. "I want to. But that's not the point, Hinata-sama." He picked up a piece of paper. "What I want you to do is pick up this paper and send some of your chakra into it, okay?" He kept smiling, watching her as if he'd made her a present and he needed her to like it. The look was setting Hinata on edge.

She nodded, picking up one of her own, putting a very small amount of chakra into the paper. She was afraid of what would happen. She was afraid that he would find her affinity weak. _Oh, God, I don't want Kankurō-sempai to think me weak… I don't think I can handle it if he, of all people did…_ She was distracted from her thoughts when Kankurō shot up to his feet, as if shot out of a cannon, whooping and screaming excitedly.

"K-Kankurō-s-sempai?" whispered Hinata, shocked.

"I knew you were special! You're the perfect kunoichi, Hinata!" yelled Kankurō, dancing in excitement for her. Her blush deepened. _Did… did Kankurō just call me perfect? Surely he is mistaken_… He finally noticed the embarrassment and confusion he'd caused her, and he smiled sheepishly, sitting back down in front of her.

"I'm sorry. It's just that this is extremely rare, and beyond that it's really amazing!" he said, patting his cheeks softly.

"W-What d-do you m-mean?" she asked nervously.

"Look down at the paper… or what was the paper," said Kankurō, grabbing her hand in his and touching her fingertips to its 'remains'. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked down. Why was Kankurō pushing her fingers into… mud? Or was it feces? Whatever it was, it was cold and wet… and very brown. Her eyebrows knitted in confusion, and she looked up at Kankurō, who was too excited. _He is mistaken. This is not paper… maybe he has gone crazy? _

"K-Kankurō-sempai, this is m-mud." she chanced.

"Well, yeah," he said, still grinning and nodding excitedly.

"W-What I-I held was n-not m-mud. It w-was p-paper…" she said, trailing off, making her confusion evident to the sand shinobi. He blushed, his entire face turning red, and his eyes traveled down to their fingers. She doubted that he realized how adorable he was when he was embarrassed, and she also doubted that other people could see his blush even through the facial paint.

"Okay, when you sent the chakra into the paper, the paper had a reaction due to your affinity," explained Kankurō, still blushing vivid red. "With Earth, it turns into dirt and crumbles. With Water, it becomes wet. It's simple enough. But yours—" He smiled again at her, making her heart skip a beat. "—you made it do both, at the same time. Look at the hand you were holding it with, you'll see what I'm telling you is true."

She followed his directive and gasped. Her right thumb pad and right index finger was covered with mud, which was quickly hardening on her skin. She stared. "I… I-I made mud? T-That is my affinity?"

"No!" said Kankurō quickly, surprised she would even thinking that. "It's so much more amazing, actually! Only three people have been known to be able to do it, and only one of them is still alive!" He tried to compose himself again. He loved being able to tell this girl this important news. It was extremely fortunate for her, and he thought it was something that was worth fanfare. But it seemed to be freaking her out, so he decided to calm himself down before finally letting himself speak. "You seem to have a natural affinity to Wood."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Of Family, Part 2

**I made it to the fifth chapter! :) I honestly didn't expect to get this far; it's amazing really. Well, like I promised, I'm going to give a look into Hinata's family. There's no flashback; I want to save it for later. But Hanabi's in it, and so is Ko... I even begun it with Kankuro so people can enjoy reading what he has to say. I just want to say... he's got some real issues with family and leaders in general, so... I wanted to make him curse more; but I decided what he might say would be completely vulgar and completely not what I want people to think Hiashi is about, so I toned it back. **

**Thanks, ****TwiiFay****! I thought it'd be something that she might be the best at, seeing as how the Hyuga's kekkei genkai works, and how she seems to choke when it comes to man-to-man fighting. I figured she might be best at being 'impersonal' as I put it, and I wanted to give her and Kankuro something more to talk about. And thanks for the props on Chibi Gaara, ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****! By the way: I LOVE YOUR STORY, ****_I Just Had To_****! It makes me giggle like a moron! :) **

**Well, onto the chapter, I figure. DISCLAIMER: I'm not a Japanese man named Masashi Kishimoto. So, I don't own Naruto. **

She wrinkled her brow. "I-I… i-is that r-really s-so amazing?"

"Hell, yes!" cried Kankurō, smiling like an idiot until he noticed the sadness of her face. _Why does she look like she is about to cry? I would be jumping for joy if my natural-born affinity was Wood! _"Hey… hey, what's wrong? You look like you're about to cry…"

"D-Does t-this mean I-I am a f-freak?" she whispered, looking down at her hands. "W-Will p-people think oddly o-of m-me now, n-now that I-I have an a-affinity f-for wood…?" She seemed to curl up on herself, freely crying now. "W-Will my f-father b-be further disappointed i-in m-me?" At the thought of her father being disappointed, Kankurō had to hold back a growl. He hated fathers, all of them. Especially fathers with money. They were the worst type. _They're all the same! They all want to see us suffer!_

"Screw what your dad thinks," growled Kankurō without thinking, making her flinch at the venom his tone seemed to contain. Bloodlust radiated off of him at the thought of his own father. Those relentless beatings. The hateful words. The hateful glares. The broken family. All of it, Kankurō blamed it all on his father, who he looked exactly like. "If he can't see how damn amazing this is for you, then he should go rot in hell."

"K-Kankurō!" gasped Hinata out in surprise, snapping him out of his anger. She seemed slightly afraid, but she still gave him a small smile. "I-I… I don't m-mean t-to make y-you mad."

_You didn't do it; it was your dumbass unappreciative father that did…_ He smiled weakly. "It's not your fault. I just don't have much love for fathers."

"Y-You a-are not close w-with y-yours, either?" she asked softly.

"If we didn't look so similar, I don't think we would be related," he replied, smiling sadly at her. _What am I doing? I haven't even talked about this with Baki! How is this girl getting me to spill… and why don't I not feel bad about telling her? Hmm, love does really strange things to a person…_ "I don't quite remember ever being close with my father. I don't remember any look of affection or even remote liking. All I remember is this look of resentment. That look that made me feels like crap for even existing."

"I-I am s-sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault, so don't apologize," he responded, waving her off. He looked up at the sky, at the sun. "He made sure to beat childhood out of me. I don't know if my terminology makes any sense, but it's the only way I can describe it. I could never please him, either… not even when I became a puppet master."

"W-What about y-your mother?" she asked.

He closed his eyes. He tried to remember something about her. A touch. A scent. A sound. But nothing came to mind. He was simply too young at the occurrence of her death for her to make any lasting impressions on his mind; which probably hurt the most. He had never really known his own mother, never got to have a conversation with her. "She died giving birth to Gaara. I was still a toddler, so I don't remember anything about her."

"M-My m-mother has passed as well."

The admittance made Kankurō's eyes widen in surprise, making his head snap to her face. "What?" he asked the shy girl before him. He was so kind, so giving, so… nothing like him. He expected that her mother had made her that way.

"S-She died w-when I-I was six," she said, giving him a small, sad smile. "S-She was pregnant with a t-third child. T-The b-baby… it… s-she… s-she didn't s-survive the n-night, n-nor did the baby." She twisted the material of her jacket between her fingers. "I-It was a-a boy. H-His n-name w-was to be Hizashi."

"I'm sorry," he apologized immediately. Despite the lack of closeness between his family members, he wasn't sure he could handle it if one of them had died in addition to his mother. For her to live with that and not be perpetually angry made her so much stronger than he thought, even stronger than before.

_I am so weak compared to her_.

"I-It's n-not your fault," she whispered, still smiling. "I still have memory of her… w-whereas y-you do not. If anybody should b-be saying s-sorry for losses, i-it should b-be me, t-to you." She looked up at him through her thick lashes. "S-So I-I am s-sorry, K-Kankurō-sempai." Her smile widened slightly. "A-At l-least G-Gaara-san i-is alive."

"I guess," he whispered. _I would be thankful if he were still that little boy that I used to play with… _Kankurō had been forced away from Gaara when he was six, forced to train instead of spending time. He blamed himself for not having the backbone to at least sneak around behind his father's back to spend time his precious little brother. He made Gaara believe that he was unloved by his family, which wasn't true. He pressed a hand to his heart subconsciously, feeling small pain as he thought about the young Gaara. _Gaara-otouto… I'm so sorry for what I did…_

Hinata stared at her teacher, seeing him more human and emotional than she'd thought he could look. He always looked surreal to her, untouchable by her soul. Especially with that face paint, which she found to be the most interesting thing about him. But, now? Now he was real. Now with that look of regret and sadness, he was real.

And he was just like her.

Without thinking, she pulled him into her, pushing his face into the crook of her neck. She stared down at his shoulder, blushing deeper than she ever had before in her life, feeling her heartbeat kick up in her chest. She tightened her grip around his neck. He seemed stunned for a second before he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him. _What is he making me feel…? _

_Oh, God, she's touching me… this feels amazing,_ thought Kankurō, burying his face deeper into her neck, her skin so warm; so nice. So soft. He wanted to lose himself on her. _This is amazing; she is amazing._ He wanted to tell her how amazing he thought she was, how amazing she _is_. But he couldn't find the words. He wasn't vocal with his feelings. He sincerely doubted that it would be completely possible for him to ever be able to. But, for now, he enjoyed this, this innocent closeness she was allowing him.

_This feels amazing. It's like I'm a live wire. He is amazing._ Hinata held him as tightly as she dared, letting her eyes close as she enjoyed this moment in his arms. She had no idea what it was that she was feeling, but it was definitely beating anything Naruto had ever made her feel…

"Hinata," he whispered, hesitantly pulling away. He didn't want to. But he knew it was the right thing to do. He wasn't sure what to say, but he tried. "I, um… thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied, for the first time since Kankurō met her not stuttering. It certainly surprised him. His eyes widened, and then he grinned widely. She looked at him, confused. That only made him grin wider. She didn't even realized she hadn't stuttered! _Wow, this is a new development. I'm sure as hell gonna milk this for all its worth. I wonder how long it will be until she notices it! _"Kankuro-sempai, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, smirking. "Let's go back to what we're supposed to be doing. Now, chakra control. I'm unsure how to train you in your natural affinity, due to the fact that I am Wind and Earth attuned. My sensei taught me how to split a leaf instead… but I'll look through ninjutsu scrolls for ideas of what we could do. Okay?" Hinata nodded, smiling at him. _So perfect. She is so perfect_. "Right. So let's get to the second topic of training… puppets!" His excitement made her giggle. He raised an eyebrow, slightly confused by the giggle but shrugging her off.

He decided to be playful instead.

He crossed his arms, giving her a haughty look. "Since you think this is so amusing, Hinata-sama," he said, snickering, "I want you to make a singular strand of chakra in fifteen minutes."

"Okay," she replied, smiling widely at him, "Tell me what I have to do, first."

"Make the tiger seal to release chakra. Then try to concentrate a large amount onto your finger. Only go for one, mind you. I want to work up to having five fingers," said Kankurō sternly, pointing one finger up in the air as he spoke. He had the most unlikely face for a teacher. More than likely, it was the Kabuki paint that made him look so odd, or even possibly the cat hood he liked to wear. But somehow, Hinata found herself wanting to hang off of his every word.

She nodded and did as she was told, forming the tiger seal. She closed her eyes, concentrating her flow of chakra. _It shouldn't be too hard, _she thought, _it can't be._ She opened her eyes to watch a small amount of pale blue chakra flit on her fingertip before disappearing just as quickly. _It can be that hard_, she thought dejectedly.

"Hey, don't make that face," said Kankurō, noticing her saddened gaze. "It took me a couple of months to get to the point that I could get strands of chakra on one finger, never mind my entire hand."

"You have been doing this your whole life!" responded Hinata in frustration. Little did Kankurō know that this was the first time that she had complained about anything. It still amused him to no end to see her frustrations; and she could see that. She huffed and crossed her arms. Kankurō snickered again and moved closer to her.

"Okay, maybe that's the case, but you've got way better chakra control than I do," he responded modestly. He grabbed her hand in his for the umpteenth time that day. "Try again. You've already released your chakra, so you can just go ahead and try again."

She raised an eyebrow, and sighed. "Alright," she whispered, closing those wide, beautiful pale lavender eyes once again. She focused her chakra to her finger once more, willing to try again. It flickered out once more, like a flame. She sighed again and said, "See? I can't do this."

"Don't give up so quickly," he said in a soft voice, "Look, it is really hard, so don't beat yourself up over it." He bit his lip before saying, "Relax. Think of something that makes you feel peaceful. That's what I found that helped me the first time I did this."

"What did you think of?" she asked.

He hesitated.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business, I know," replied Hinata, looking down at her knees sheepishly. She focused once more on her finger, trying to make a singular chakra strand. Her fingertip turned red and began to swell with the effort she was putting in. this was possibly the most stressful and energy-consuming sort of training she'd ever done.

"I thought of my uncle," he said after ten minutes of absolute silence.

She blinked and lost her concentration. She nearly cursed, looking up at Kankurō. "Huh?"

"You asked me what I thought of… and I thought of my uncle. Yashamaru. He's… he's was a precious person to me. The kindest man I've ever met. He was my mother's younger brother, and he was also Gaara's personal nurse." He smiled a little. "He kept me from hating my life. If he weren't there… well, Temari might not be alive." He earned a small giggle from Hinata. "But he was really soothing. He would rub my back when I had bad dreams… sometimes, when I have a particularly bad nightmare, I can almost imagine his hand on the middle of my back, rubbing away the horrors."

She smiled. "He sounds like a kind man," she said.

"He was." He grinned sincerely now. "I really miss him sometimes."

Her face fell. "Is Yashamaru… dead?"

He nodded, still grinning. "Yes, he is."

"Then, why are you…?"

He pointed downwards. "Because you're doing it!"

She looked down at her hand and nearly fainted with joy. Her entire right hand, all five fingers had chakra strands extended out of them. She looked up at Kankurō excitedly. "I am! Kankurō-sempai, thank you!" she cried out, hugging Kankurō once again.

* * *

Hinata blushed to think about the training with Kankurō on her way home. How special he'd made her feel whilst training her; as if she weren't a screw-up. And how much attention he gave her, paying as much attention as he could to make sure that she would do well during training.

And how sore he made sure her fingers got.

They spent an hour with simple chakra strands, not even connecting her strands to anything. He just had her make the strands repeatedly, having her extend their lengths until she could figure out how to do it without even thinking. He needed her to have extension on instinct, like walking or talking. It wasn't quite second instinct, yet; but it was certainly getting close in her opinion. She smiled to think about it. Her, Hyūga Hinata… a puppeteer! She giggled at the thought.

"Lady Hinata!" said a voice, disturbing her thoughts. She sighed. Kō. She turned to her bodyguard, who was walking along with Hanabi. Hanabi smiled at her, waving. She knew automatically that it was Hanabi who'd convinced Kō to call out to her. Kō had some basic respect for her privacy and space while she was out and about, but Hanabi had no such inhibitions.

"Hello, Kō-san," greeted Hinata politely, bowing her protector.

"What, I don't get a greeting?" said Hanabi, pretending to pout.

Hinata grinned. "Hello, Hanabi-chan."

Hanabi raised an eyebrow and smiled wide. "Neechan! It's a miracle!" she cried, wrapping her hands around her sister's waist; overwhelmed with happiness. Hinata knew that her sister did not believe in miracles of any sort. What was this?

Hinata giggled at her sister's silliness. "Hanabi, what're you talking about? You're confusing me deeply," she said, her lavender eyes showing much amusement and happiness. "You weren't this excited when Otousan told you that you were beginning at the Academy."

"Your stutter!" said Hanabi, as if it were obvious. "You're not stuttering!" Hinata blinked and covered her mouth. She hadn't noticed! _When did this happen… was it while I was with Kankurō? Did he induce this? What does this mean? _Hinata smiled, despite her mental confusion. "Oh! Hinata! I am so proud of you!" cried her little sister, hugging her tighter.

"I am glad you're happy," she said, hugging her sister back and smiling up at Kō. "Why are you out and about? I expected you to be at home today."

"Oh! Right!" said Hanabi, pulling back from her sister. She suddenly seemed very nervous and shy. "I-I told Otousan that I wanted to visit Okaasan's memorial site," she said, looking anywhere but at Hinata's face. She understood her sudden apprehension. As far as Hinata knew, Hanabi had never tried to go. She'd never presented an interest in visiting her grave; Hinata had tried before. She wrung her hands; showing nervousness she would never present in front of their father. "Um… Kō said he would come with me because it's my first time… would you like to come too, Hinata?"

"Are you kidding?" asked Hinata, smiling kindly down at her younger sister. "Of course I would. I love visiting her."

Kō noticed the amount of happiness in Hanabi's face when Hinata said she would join. _She is too kind sometimes. I can plainly see how tired she is from whatever training she ran out of the house to do this morning. She needs to take a nap, yet she's staying vertical because Hanabi-chama asked her to. She spoils her so much… she is just like her mother._ Kō smiled at the memory of Hinata's mother. So kind. So sweet.

He watched the sisters walk off, Hanabi's smaller hand in Hinata's. Kō smiled at their backs, watching them. He remembered when their mother used to hold his hand like that. It was always reassuring to him to feel her warmth surrounding his small hand. He closed his eyes to remember her warm gaze, staring down at him. _Suki… my dear sister_, he thought.

He wished that his two nieces had their mother. He wished that Suki could watch her children grow up. He wished that she was alive, back with Hiashi. He loved his family, and wished once again they could be whole. For now they were fragmented; near each other but not whole. It hurt him to see them be like this. Hinata deserved this; a family. She deserved a father that didn't criticize her just because he could express his love and adoration for her in a normal way.

_Suki, if you could see them now… you wouldn't be surprised to see that Hinata is the strongest one of us all. _With that thought, Kō smiled and jogged to catch up with his nieces. Hinata looked at him and gave him a soft smile. To her, he was nothing more than a bodyguard and a confidant. He hadn't told her that they were not truly cousins; he hadn't found it necessary. She already trusted him; so why define their relationship by complicated familial ties?

Kō smiled back at her.

* * *

Hanabi knelt down in front of the memorial stone, her white eyes wide as she stared at the name engraved on its smooth front. Hinata crouched next to her, rubbing her back encouragingly. _She's stronger than I am, and she looks like she's about to start sobbing endlessly,_ thought Hinata, watching the seven-year-old rub her cheeks roughly.

"What do I even say?" she whispered, looking up at her sister. "I mean, what do I say to her? Will she even know that I'm speaking to her? Will she even know who I am?"

"Of course she does; she's your mother," replied Hinata in her soft, encouraging tone. Hinata had entire conversations with the slab of stone; speaking candidly and as if her mother could hear her. She was a frequent visitor to the site, coming once or twice a week. She kept the memorial wreath fresh with flowers only from the Yamanaka shop; since in her life her mother had been close friends with Ino's mother.

"But she doesn't really know me. I wasn't that old when she…" Hanabi seemed unwilling to say the correct word, as if it would make it any less real. She instead chose to keep going with her sentence; something Hinata chose not to comment on—she figured it was Hanabi's way to cope. "… She doesn't know me, Hinata-neechan, not like she does you. Can you… can you introduce me?"

Hinata didn't argue, instead kissing her sister's temple. She touched her fingertips to the wreath, noting that the small red flowers were slowly dying. "Hi, Okaasan," whispered Hinata, smiling softly. "I know I'm not really on schedule… I know I'm supposed to come in about two days. But somebody wanted to meet you." Hinata took Hanabi's hand and touched her hand to the wreath. "It's Hanabi. Of course you know her, right?"

Hanabi felt obliged to speak. "Hello, Okaasan," she said in a soft voice, tears coming to her eyes. She smiled shakily as the tears dripped down her cheeks. "Hello, Okaasan." Hinata smiled and felt her job was done, standing up and standing away from Hanabi, giving her a private moment with her mother, standing by Kō.

Kō smiled down at her. "You are a kind person, Lady Hinata."

"Kō, we are family. Please stop calling me Lady Hinata," she whispered, smiling up at the older man before it faltered a little, looking back at her sister. "Why did she suddenly want to come to visit my mother's grave? I assume you might know…"

Kō sobered, and he looked down at his feet. "A maid dropped a picture of Suki-san in front of your father this morning," he admitted in a quiet voice. "He did not… take it very well. Lady Hanabi saw the whole thing." Hinata nodded in understanding, still not looking away from Hanabi's back. She knew her father had loved her mother, truly loved and cherished her. She remembered how destroyed he was when she passed. He'd never gotten over it. She could only figure that that maid had gotten reamed for what she'd done, and her father had decided to give Hanabi the day off so he could mourn without his daughter seeing him.

"My poor Otousan," said Hinata softly, tears dripping down her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Of Wounds

**Merry Christmas! Here's Chapter Six! And, just because it's Christmas (actually, because this was kind of a sad chapter; but you can think of it as a Christmas gift from me to you) the Seventh chapter is uploaded too! I hope you guys enjoy yourselves today AND enjoy the chapter! **

**By the by: umm... I'm just some weird fangirl. I don't own Naruto; Masashi Kishimoto does. So, yeah. **

Kankurō let his hands drop to his side, smiling tiredly as he watched Crow fall to the side; no longer attached to his now aching fingertips. He was glad to see his precious puppet fall, because he was too exhausted to keep up this spar. He panted, feeling his sweat drip down his face. He pulled off his cat hood; too warm for it. "Hinata," he called, "Let's take a break. I'm starving."

"Okay!" called Hinata, jumping down from the tree she perched herself in; Black Ant falling to the ground as she released the jutsu. She, too, was sweating heavily; obviously exhausted. She smiled at him before falling onto her stomach on the dirt ground, too tired to move forwards. She groaned in relief. Kankurō rolled his eyes in amusement, running towards her and sitting down on the ground next to her. She cracked open an eye and stared up at the boy in front of her. "You should try this, Kankurō-sempai… this feels heavenly."

He smirked. "I'll take your word for it." He poked her arm. "Come on. We need to wrap up the puppets before we eat."

She squinted at him. "You're not wearing your hat."

"No. I'm not. I still want you to get up to wrap up the puppets." She groaned. Kankurō smirked and poked her ribs. It amused him endlessly to see her like this, and it made him even happier to know that she was only this person in front of him. "Hey, at least you're not the one who has to carry the damned things… I don't know what I was thinking, asking for Baki to bring me Black Ant…"

"You were thinking about how hard it would be for me to operate him," she replied, smiling. "There are so many limbs; I don't know how I'm keeping him walking. I'm constantly afraid he's not going to work because I suck at this." He frowned. _She still believes she's bad at this? Does she not know how hard I worked to beat her? I've never worked this hard, with anybody. _Kankurō sighed and poked her again, a bit more roughly this time as to make her jump up, forcing her to open her eyes.

"What?" she cried. Kankurō still frowned, crossing his arms. She noted his seriousness, and some of her timid nature returned. She poked her index fingers together. "W-What's wrong, Kankurō-sempai?"

"You!" he said unreservedly.

She flinched. "What?" she asked dumbly.

"You don't suck, Hinata! You've worked very hard and it's paid off in full. I mean, my chakra is nearly depleted, and I'm sure if I didn't force you to move trees when I got Crow to come that close to you, you would've won! So stop it with that 'I suck' crap because it's pissing me off!" snapped Kankurō, irritated by her attitude towards herself. "If you of all people have no faith in your abilities, then there's no way you'll succeed!" He glared at her. "Why do you think that you suck, anyways?"

She looked away. "There's no room for failure in my clan. If I do not win, then I am dead last. And… I do not win," she said simply.

He sighed. _Sadly enough… I understand the logic behind it. My father has the same logic as her family… and I've taken the same reason from him for a long time. But ever since I've known Hinata… I've known there's no way that's true_. "Trust me when I say this, Hinata. If you were in any weak or a hindrance, or if you sucked at this in any way, I would not bother with you. I would not find you nearly as interesting as I think you are."

She looked at him shyly. "Do you mean it?"

"Of course I do. I don't say shit I don't mean." Kankurō grinned at the Hyūga girl. "I mean, I might bend around speaking the truth sometimes, but that's only when I'm looking for information over a particular subject I find interesting. Also, I haven't done that with you, so you don't have to worry about it." He patted her knee, standing up. "C'mon, I'm hungry. Let's go get a bite to eat. It'll be my treat."

"I can't just…" she began.

"You can and you will. It's not like I have someone back home I want to spend my money on, so why the hell not? But… we have to wrap up Ant and Crow and bring them back to my hotel room before we eat. I'd rather remain inconspicuous." Kankurō had a habit of remaining an unknown quantity in foreign cities and villages; especially ones with a known ninja populous. He removed his cat hood, wiped the paint off of his face, and left the puppets at his home. It was to keep people from noticing him very easily, due to the fact that sometimes he simply wanted to relax.

Hinata nodded, standing up and walking to the Black Ant, pulling wrappings out of her back pouch. With a soft touch, she began to wrap up Kankurō's precious puppet. He watched her work, never taking her eyes off of her hands. _She was born for this. She's perfect at this. _

* * *

Kankurō usually considered factors in every plan that he made. His every step was well calculated and thought out to the letter. He hated the idea of messing up any detail, and so usually he prepared for every scenario. But he hadn't thought up one scenario when he decided to bring the puppets back to the hotel before going to lunch—that his brother and sister might still be in their shared hotel room.

Cursing, Kankurō pushed Hinata out of their line of sight, taking Black Ant into his arms and then closing his eyes. He was afraid of what Gaara might do to her, having smelt her blood before. He wasn't sure if it would make him go crazy. Besides that, strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to be anywhere near her. She was a Leaf nin and therefore, and enemy of the Sand. Since their whole plan was to crush the Leaf… he again shivered at the thought. He wasn't sure he liked the plan as much as he had two months ago.

Temari's blue eyes flashed with curiosity at her brother's worry. "Kankurō? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"N-Nothing!" said Kankurō, sighing with relief when Temari didn't note on the fact that Hinata had been with him. He quickly moved across the room, dropping the puppet's bandaged forms unceremoniously onto his bed in the small hotel room. Gaara watched him, sitting in the chair at the desk. Kankurō didn't know what he was doing, seeing as how Gaara didn't write, but then he figured it wasn't his business when his eyes flashed with hatred for Kankurō. "I just wanted to drop them off and clean up. Take off the paint and such."

"Are you still gathering information on our competitors?" asked Temari, turning a page in the Icha Icha novel she was reading. _How she can read those things without feeling disgusted with herself afterwards is beyond my comprehension, _thought Kankurō, shaking his head. He'd tried the series once, only to find himself blushing madly at the end.

"Uh… yes," he said, not really paying attention to his sister at this point. He pulled off his distinctive black shirt, going through his bag for a simple black mesh tee to pull on instead. Temari made a face of sadness to see Kankurō's bare upper body, but he ignored it. "It's very… time consuming." _God, Hinata, please don't walk in. Don't walk in right now. I don't want them to see you. Please stay out there. I'll explain later. Just please don't come in…_ he mentally begged the indigo-haired girl outside of his hotel room, sprinting into the small bathroom to wash his face off.

"The exams are this coming Tuesday," said Gaara in his quiet, angry voice, "And today is Saturday."

"I know!" called Kankurō from the bathroom before he quickly added, "Lord Gaara."

"So why are you still looking for intelligence over the competition? They will not win, or even live. Konoha shall be crushed," said Gaara, sending a shiver down Kankurō's back. _I really hope that doesn't happen_, he thought, Hinata's small smile coming to mind. He looked up in the mirror, flinching slightly when he saw his reflection, as he always did. He frowned and touched his cheek. _If anyone deserves to die… it's me. _

This would be the first time he would show Hinata his unpainted face. He hated seeing his face; as he looked so much like his father. People back home used him to work their ways into the favor of the Kazekage, and he hated it so much. He began to paint his face only to keep people from noticing the features that made him the Kazekage's son.

He grimaced as he took in his features. _No one can love someone with a face as cold-looking as this one. My mother surely didn't. No, I bet Okaasan hated Otousan. Just like Ojisan did. _He looked down at his hands, pulling his gloves off. He looked down at the burn on the middle of his right palm. His father had given it to him when he was eight, a couple of days after the news of what happened to Yashamaru spread. The tissue was tough and darkened. Sometimes, if he overstressed himself, it would hurt him.

He had inscribed the kanji for 'weakling' in the middle of his palm. Kankurō had cried for his uncle, and his father hadn't thought lightly of his anguish. He made sure his son knew and always knew what he was. He was a failure in the eyes of the Kazekage. A weakling. Unworthy of his respect.

Kankurō pulled back on the glove, deciding he wasn't ready to reveal the wound to anyone; especially not Hinata.

"I'm leaving," said Kankurō, turning off the light in the bathroom as he prepared to leave the room to go back to Hinata. He didn't want to stay any longer than he had to in the tense space. _I think I've kept her waiting long enough…_

"Kankurō, wait," said Temari quickly, making Kankurō turn around. He raised an eyebrow at his sister, who suddenly seemed nervous. _What's wrong with her…?_ He thought, watching her get up from the bed and walk over to him. She picked up their sensei's Jōnin vest from on top of the small television set and stuffed it into her brother's hands. "Um… your back is kind of… visible." Her eyes seemed apologetic as she turned away from him.

She was trying to be caring.

All she did was piss him off. "I'll be back late," he snarled at his sister's back, pulling on the vest and opening the door to the hotel room, letting the door slam behind him. He leaned against it, breathing heavily. _Since when has she cared about my scars? Since when has she cared about _me_? What gives her the right…?_ Kankurō closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind. He tried to consider the fact that his sister just made a kind gesture towards him… but he couldn't. _She's never given a shit before. It made her happy to see me in pain! _

"Kankurō-sempai?" whispered a soft voice. Kankurō opened an eye and saw Hinata standing before him, reaching a hand out for him. In his anger, he slapped her hand away. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Kankurō!"

"Don't you dare to fucking pity me!" he snapped at her, overwhelmed by his anger. He hated it. It made him feel weaker than he thought he already was.

"I don't even know what's wrong," she replied, coming close to him. When Kankurō didn't snap or strike out at her, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him tightly against her. She closed her eyes and pushed her face against his chest, feeling his heart beat under her cheek. _I've never seen him like this… I'll do anything to consol him…_ she thought.

After a moment of silence, Kankurō murmured his thanks, unable to think of something else to say. She pulled away and gave him a small smile, putting her hand on his upper arm. Kankurō blushed and looked off to the side, mortified by his reaction to her. "I… I'm sorry, Hinata-sama. For pushing you like that… and then slapping you…"

"I'm a kunoichi, Kankurō-sempai. I think I can handle a little pushing and slapping," she said. "I've certainly gotten a lot worst on missions, so don't beat yourself up about it.

"I just… my family's in there," he said in a dead voice, one that made her heart squeeze painfully. "They… we… we haven't gotten along very well in the past few years. All we seem to do, when we do see each other… are criticizing faults… or at least they do to me… because I'm full of faults…" Kankurō smiled sadly. "What am I doing? Why am I bitching about my problems to you? We're supposed to be relaxing." He moved forwards, starting down the hall. "I know there's a barbeque buffet in this town somewhere that serves good hamburger steak. Let's go there."

Hinata watched him closely, her heart tight with the sadness she felt for him. She knew exactly what Kankurō was doing. He was bottling. He didn't want anybody to worry about him, or to think that he was weak for feeling things so strongly—so he pushed it all inside of him and made a mask. _He is… too much like me…_ She smiled sadly. _I wish he wasn't. I can't stand to see him sad… like this…_

"What are we doing after lunch?" asked Hinata, jogging to catch up with her male counterpart. He blinked, as if stunned she would ask any sort of question.

"Well… I do have some problems finding out how best to train you in your natural element—or elements, as the case may be; seeing as how you can use Earth and Water if you so wish as well. But I want to play with Wood; so we could go to your Academy. They usually have scrolls containing information on jutsu, right?" said Kankurō, rubbing his chin as he went down the stairs, Hinata following right after him.

"They have very basic jutsu, like a simple Bunshin. But nothing about Nature types; I have looked," replied Hinata.

"Damn. What do they teach you in these schools in Konoha?" he growled, annoyed by the evident lack of education that Hinata had received in the ninja arts compared to him. He rubbed the back of his neck as they walked back outside, the sunlight blinding him for a moment before his eyes adjusted. He looked back at her and found himself awestruck. She looked… _angelic… perfect…_

"They teach us," said Hinata, frowning at him. She didn't notice his dumbstruck look; she didn't notice any romantic look Kankurō sent her way. She had believed for the longest time that no one would ever notice her that way. She had no idea how wrong she was. "Anyways, Kankurō, we do have one of these things… called a library…"

Kankurō smirked. "You're a smartass now, huh?" he asked, grinning at her with pure amusement. She smirked and blushed lightly, giving a breath of a laugh before looking away. "Well, that's what we'll do after lunch, then! We'll go to the library to look through scrolls. There can't be all that much there!"

* * *

Kankurō groaned and smacked his head against the table. "Why didn't you tell me there could be a lot there, Hinata-sama?" he moaned out, much to the amusement of the short-haired girl in front of him. She poured him a cup of water, which he stared at with hopes of turning it into sake instead. Kankurō glared at his giggling counterpart and raised his cup to his lips, taking a sip.

"I didn't want to crush your spirits. After all, you seemed so excited. I didn't want to tell you how… _big _our jutsu scrolls can be," she replied, opening her thirteenth scroll on Water-styled ninjutsu. "Ooh, there's an intriguing one that I could work with…"

Kankurō groaned again. "There's so many… no wonder they don't teach this crap in your Academies. Dammit, I haven't even finished this Earth-style scroll; and I think there's still several more I have to get through… and I still haven't found anything about Wood!" he complained, looking down at the scroll and picking up his pen once again, writing down some particular jutsu that happened to seem appealing to him.

"This isn't so bad, Kankurō-sempai. Usually they don't even have water or fans… or seats…" giggled Hinata, taking another sip.

"Aren't you worried about finding a Wood jutsu?" asked Kankurō, looking up through his brown lashes. He put his cheek onto his knuckles as he watched her think through her reply.

"Well, yes," she said slowly, "But I don't see how freaking out about it will help, so…" She shrugged. "I'm sorry. I should worry about it more, shouldn't I? It has nothing to do with you; yet you're the one pouring frantically over these scrolls…"

"Don't do anything you don't want to," he replied sincerely, yawning. "I mean, a Wood affinity is… very rare. Like having a Wind affinity, I guess, except you can find actual information about the damned thing!" he said, frustrations rising again. "I mean, crap! How can there be absolutely no informative scrolls about an entire sect of jutsu nowhere in an entire library dedicated to the ninja arts! I mean, there's a section about stitching here! _Stitching!_"

"I think you're still kind of miffed about the puppetry section being so tiny," she said, her giggle returning.

Kankurō snickered. "Puppetry is an important ninja art," he said.

"Uh-huh. I would expect to hear that from someone who uses puppets," she replied, smiling wider at the Sand nin. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. _He has no idea how beautiful that face is…_ she thought, fighting to keep that smile on her face.

"Well, what do we have here?"

The two Genin jumped, Hinata yelping out in surprise. "L-Lord Hokage!" she cried out, standing up and bowing to the old man. The Hokage smiled down at the twelve-year-old beauty and her infinite amount of civility and politeness. He held his pipe in his hand, choosing not to smoke in front of the two young ones.

"Why, little Hinata Hyūga, was that your voice I just heard?" he asked politely, "Is that stutter gone for good?"

"With luck, yes," she replied, standing up straight and smiling at her Hokage. Kankurō simply stared at the old man before him, eyebrow raised. _This old fart really is the Hokage? I thought he was bluffing back at the exams… I didn't think that they let the old ones keep power! They should try to keep 'em young; he looks like he's about to drop dead…_

"And is this Sabaku no Kankurō, the son of the Fourth Kazekage?" The old man's voice interrupted Kankurō's thoughts. The barest mention of his father had his blood boiling, and he glared at the Hokage in front of him. _Diplomat first, be diplomatic! Be civil!_ Kankurō thought, trying to keep himself from reaming out the old man for mention his father in front of him.

"Yes, my name is Kankurō," he said gruffly, choosing not to be confrontational in front of Hinata.

"Why, I did not know that you two were friends of any type," said the Hokage, his tone concealing something like… smugness? Kankurō's eyebrow went further up. _I don't like this guy._ His smile became warmer. "That is a great thing! I have worked very hard to get relations with your village back to a peaceable level. I wanted to see two great shinobi, share…" He looked down at the table, as if to ascertain they were not underage drinkers, "_Water_ and chat over different ninjutsu styles."

_How much of our conversation did he hear? _Kankurō wondered; panicking on the inside at the thought of Hinata's secret being known by the biggest public figure in the entire village of Konohagakure. Hinata had stressed how important it was to her that nobody knew about her Wood affinity, and Kankurō had agreed. It was bad enough she had the Byakugan, now she had a Wood affinity? It made her a walking target for people who wanted special ninja skills.

Hinata seemed to be wondering the same thing, as she went stiff as a board as she stared, gape-mouthed, at her Hokage. He smiled again at them before pulling a small scroll out of his robes, placing it on top of the table. "I believe this will help. But don't mistreat this… and be careful with this. Am I understood, Lady Hyūga?" asked the Hokage in a stern voice. She nodded dumbly. "Oh, and Lord Kankurō…?"

"Y-Yes?" he asked, dumbstruck. _The old fart did hear everything! Crap on a stick! _

"Be careful. She does have a heart condition. And if I hear that you tried to kill my grandson again, it won't be a bunch of twelve-year-olds who will stop you. Am I clear?" he asked him in a threatening voice. All Kankurō could do was nod, feeling pure power radiate off of his short frame. _That's why he's still Hokage_… he thought, shivering; as his lips tipped upwards in a smile and he said, "Good! Well, I think I've evaded my duties enough for one day. I shall leave you two be. I look forwards to your match on Tuesday, Lord Kankurō."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Of Hatred

**I did say the seventh chapter is up, right? x) **

**Again, Merry Christmas! Enjoy the day! **

**I want to apologize personally to the Guest reviewer... I didn't mean to ruin this chapter for you... I was just kind of anxious, I was really excited with the way this chapter came out! This was my favorite chapter to write so far; so I couldn't help but blab about it excitedly... I hope you enjoy the rest of the story (if I haven't completely ruined it for you, that is- which I hope you didn't).  
**

**DISCLAIMER: second verse, same as the first: don't own Naruto; never will own Naruto. **

**ENJOY IT! **

Hinata was freaking out, and it was worrying Kankurō. It was because she didn't freak out like a normal girl—she was instead stiff and quiet, and overly sensitive to sounds and touches; which he found out when he accidentally dropped a scroll and she had darted to the opposite side of the room with wide eyes.

"Hinata, it's just a scroll. It's nothing big. I didn't drop glass or anything," said Kankurō, rolling his eyes at his overly-sensitive student as he picked up the dropped scroll, tucking it securely under his armpit. He watched her nod and slowly made her way back over, plopping down into the chair. She pushed the strands of hair she framed her face with behind her ear, keeping it away from her mouth; seeing as how she had a nasty habit of biting her hair whenever she was incredibly nerve-shot.

Kankurō came back over to her, unsure of what to do. Temari was never like this, and when an unrelated girl freaked out on him he just tended to ignore them, seeing as how he didn't live with them. But her? All he wanted to do was kiss away everything that was upsetting her.

"Hey," he said softly, crouching down in front of her. "Why are you scared? He's helping us out."

"What if he tells people?" she whispered, her lavender eyes finally lying on him. She began to shake her head softly, saying, "I don't want anybody coming after me again for what I can do."

"Shhh, I know," said Kankurō, not completely sure what she was talking about but deciding to go along with it anyways. Instinct was telling him to nod and say 'yes' and his instinct had never steered him wrong before. He dared to touch her, putting his palm onto her cheek and letting his fingers play with the hair she pushed behind her ear. She flinched, but allowed him to touch her. She sighed shakily, and her tension visibly lessoned. "He won't tell anyone. If he does, then he'll have to explain why he skipped out on work to follow two _very _underage Genin around a library."

She coughed a laugh, blushing despite herself. "I guess…"

"Don't say 'I guess'," said Kankurō, attempting to imitate her feminine voice but failing badly, making her laugh for real now. The sound was like music to his ears. It was intoxicating and seductive, making him want to join in. So he did, laughing heartily with her, enjoying himself immensely.

He hadn't had this much fun in years.

When their laughter died down, they decided that they would give themselves a while to cool down before going back to physical activity. Kankurō decided he wanted to indulge her more; so much to her dislike she was dragged to the busy Konoha center. She shook her head and tried to plant her feet down, trying to pull the heavier, bigger shinobi in the opposite direction; which she was unsurprisingly unsuccessful in doing.

"Hinata, don't do that!" he said, smiling at his female counterpart as her pulled her forward, wrapping his arm around her shoulders without thinking about it. She blushed but said nothing, enjoying the steady weight of Kankurō's arm. _Oh… my… God… his arm is around me… he's touching me in public…_ she thought, her smile widening. This was like a small piece of heaven for her, for Kankurō to be willingly touching her. _This must be a dream. _

"C'mon, Hinata, let me buy you one thing!" said Kankurō, oblivious to her blush and growing smile.

She shook her head. "You already bought me lunch! I can't take anymore from you today!" she said, trying to convince him not to spend any more money on her.

He shook his head in response. "No. No, I'm not taking no for an answer! I'm going to buy you something, and you can't stop me from doing so!" he said, smiling brightly down at her. "So just suck it up and tell me what you want! Or I'll pick, and trust me, it'll be absolutely horrid!"

She laughed. "Your taste cannot be as bad as you think!"

"I doubt it! I don't shop for women, if you haven't been able to tell," he said, still smiling at her. "It'll be horrid! I'd probably make you wear something with… I don't even know what, ribbons? Do you hate ribbons?"

"Ribbons get in the way," she said, grinning at Kankurō's unhinged stupidity. Without her even realizing it, he led her into a small shop that she happened to frequent. She tried to push against him, but his grip was strong. She pouted and led her through the stands, showing random fabrics and asking her if she liked them.

"Lady Hyūga? Are you here for a new jacket?" asked a saleslady, coming to help with the obviously confused and resistant purchase.

"Yes," said Kankurō at the same time that Hinata replied, "No." Kankurō stuck out his tongue at her and said, "Yes, we're here to get her a new jacket."

"Ah. What is wrong with this one?"

"Nothing!" said Hinata loudly.

"It's too baggy on her!" said Kankurō in a louder voice, smirking. "She's beautiful; and she deserves a jacket that compliments her!" _Oh, my... Kankurō thinks I'm beautiful? _Hinata thought, staring up at the boy in wonder.

_Did I really just call her beautiful aloud? _Kankurō thought frantically, surprised with his nerve. He expected her to start hitting him at any moment for it, but even more surprisingly she didn't. She merely stared at him, her face turning increasingly red as each moment passed. _Dammit, I embarrassed her? How much of a dick can I be? _

The saleslady clapped excitedly, unaware of their inner thoughts. "Oh, it's so refreshing to hear someone agree with me!" she said, "I always thought this jacket was too frumpy on you, Lady Hyūga, if you don't mind me saying… I understand that you're a ninja, but it doesn't mean you can't have good fashion sense!"

Kankurō nodded, as if he were paying attention to her, which was the only encouragement she needed. She pulled Hinata out from underneath Kankurō's arm, much to both of their dismay. Hinata smiled and looked back at him, but he wasn't all there. He was stuck, remembering…

When Kankurō was nine, his bodyguards began to become more lenient with their watch. He began to travel around the mansion by himself, discovering more rooms than he remembered there being. One particular time, he was hiding in a small closet as to avoid Temari, who was threatening to tell their father about how she beat Kankurō during training that morning.

_Why is she so mean to me?_ he thought to himself, sitting amongst unused kimonos and obis. He crossed his arms and pouted, hoping internally that she wouldn't find him.

"…And what of your children, Kazekage-sama?" Kankurō's eyes snapped open and he clamored closer to the door, pressing the side of his face against it. He knew he shouldn't be listening in on the conversation, but he felt that if he was to be stuck in the closet he might as well be entertained.

"What about my children?" said his father in that rough, angry voice.

"Well… Temari is fast on her track to becoming a skilled kunoichi. She rough and intelligent and she's also merciless. What will happen to her upon your resignation from the seat?"

"She will not become Kazekage. She's too abrupt; too dangerous. And she's… she's an annoying little bitch sometimes. She's not fit for such a position where you have to think about the good of every person before your own. Do you know how often she bitches about Kankurō to me? It is exhausting to deal with her." Kankurō clenched his fist. He might not have been the kindest person with his opinions of Temari; but she was his sister. He did care for her, even if it was not requited. _Good fathers shouldn't say things like that about their children_, he thought, gritting his teeth. "And Gaara… Gaara is like a ticking clock. I'm not sure what to do with him, what with Sabaku living within him. He's a danger to the entire village… I sincerely doubt he has any true remorse for what he does."

"I see," replied the councilman. "But what if he does change…?"

"People don't change. It's a fact. It is a shame, too… he would've made a great Kazekage if he were not a murderer… he would be my pride if he weren't this way…" His father's voice trailed off, leaving a long, pregnant silence before he said, "I have business to attend to."

"Wait! What of Kankurō?" asked the councilman. Kankurō's heart stopped in his chest as he listened, suddenly apprehensive. _I shouldn't listen. I don't want to hear this. I don't…_

"Kankurō is… weak." His father seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "He is too caring. Too personal while fighting. He's too much like his mother to ever be a good Kage, much less a good shinobi. I doubt that he'll ever make for anything more than someone we can use for inter-country negotiations."

"What… you mean marriages in order to gain protection?" said the councilmember, obviously aghast.

"That is exactly what I mean," replied his father without care. "He's too weak to be anything else. Is that all you needed me for, or may I continue on with the other things I have to do?"

"…Yes, Kazekage-sama. Thank you for your time." Both men left the room, neither noticing the spike in chakra in anger. In the small closet, a young boy sobbed, gritting his teeth in defiance and absolute fury. _I hate him! I hate him! I want… I want to kill him! That will prove how strong I am! I hate him! _Kankurō closed his eyes, bracing his small fists against the floor. His sobs shook him.

"AHA! There you are!" cried out the voice of Temari, opening the door of the closet. Kankurō didn't acknowledge her, still sobbing. "And you're being a crybaby! That's one more thing that I'm going to tell him…"

"Shut up."

She blinked in surprise. "_What_?!"

Kankurō finally looked up at her, his brown eyes swirling with pure hatred and anguish. She flinched under his glare. He stood up, eye-level with her. "I told you to shut up, Temari. You're annoying me." He walked past her, ignoring her shivering. He nearly bumped into his father, who nearly commented before noticing the hatred and anger burning in his son's eyes.

"Hello, Otousan," he said coldly before leaving, moving forwards.

_Love is for the weak. _He looked down at his small palm, where it said 'weakling'. He curled his hand into a fist. _I will show him. I am not weak. _

_I shall not love._

* * *

"You look gorgeous!" cried out the saleslady, popping Kankurō out of his thoughts. Hinata blushed at the attention she was showered with, tugging at the hem of the fit-cut pale blue jacket. The blue complimented her skin in a way that was so tantalizing to Kankurō. His attention and thoughts were all on her as she spun in front of the mirror, analyzing the jacket from all the angles she could.

"I don't know," she said finally. "It's very tight…"

"Comfortable, though!" said the saleslady.

"Well, yes," she admitted with a small, shy giggle, "But I don't know."

"Get it." Both women flinched; seemingly surprised at the idea that Kankurō would have an opinion. He let himself smile. "Get it, Hinata."

"But…"

"Do you like it?"

"Yes, but…"

"Does it feel comfortable?"

"Yes…"

"Can you move in it?"

"I can…"

"Then we'll buy it," said Kankurō, turning on his heel and walking towards the cash register with his hands in his pockets. Hinata yelped and ran after Kankurō, pulling on the back of his sensei's Jōnin vest. He smirked and looked back at his younger friends. "What's up, Hinata?" he asked conversationally.

"You can't buy me this!" she said, eyes wide.

He raised an eyebrow. "What, do you not think I have the funds to buy it?" he asked in an amused voice.

"Ah—no, that's not it! I just don't want to waste your money…"

"You won't." He turned to her, stopping abruptly so she'd bump into his chest. He grabbed her by her forearms and held her close. "Honestly, if you were wasting my money, I wouldn't have offered to get jack!" He smiled brightly down at her. "Think of it as a gift, Hinata." He let go of one arm to raise his hand to her zipper, pulling it down her body slowly as to savor every curve her body made. He was saddened when he reached the bottom, but didn't show it, instead slipping it off her shoulders without much of a fight from her.

"A gift for what?" she asked softly.

He took a dare. He leaned in and touched his lips to her nose, kissing it softly. "For being my friend." She was stunned at the boy's guts, her blush kicking up so intensely. He smirked and kissed it again. "You're burning up, Hinata. Calm down. I'll be back in a minute with your jacket, and then we can go, okay?" All she could do was nod, and he smiled wider.

_She's so cute, _he thought as he placed the jacket down on the counter and handed the saleslady a roll of bills, taking whatever was being handed back to him without truly noticing. He was just stuck on how much further he'd wanted to go than a simple peck on her nose. He wanted her lips against his, to feel her underneath his hands. He just… wanted her. Kankurō looked over at her as she pulled on her regular jacket, giving her a grin that made her blush even deeper. He chuckled. _Give me a second, rabendā, I'll do something about that, _he thought, taking the bag that contained the jacket without looking or wishing the saleslady goodbye. He rushed over to Hinata, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he led her out of the store.

He steered them to an empty alleyway, taking care to look both ways before he did. She looked confused and flustered, her face still bright red. He pushed her softly against the wall, pressing himself onto her body so she couldn't run. She gasped out, eyes widened.

"W-What are y-you…?" she asked, stunned by Kankurō's sudden forwardness.

"You're stuttering again," he whispered, his face only a good few centimeters away from his. She began to apologize before he put a finger on her lip. "Don't apologize. I love it."

"Y-You d-do?"

"Yes. In fact, I love it so much that I want to be the only one to ever hear it from you," he managed to say before he lost his last bit of self-control and smashed his lips into hers, relentlessly kissing her. He felt a small amount of remorse for the force he was using—she was, after all, two years younger than him and this was her first ever kiss—but it quickly slipped his mind when she gave a soft moan against his lips, opening her mouth to let his tongue slip in.

Quickly, they went from first kiss to first make-out.

Hinata was in bliss, feeling Kankurō like this. To feel him pressed against her body, to feel him express such powerful feelings to her. At first, she'd been confused, but it quickly left her list of concerns. All she could do was enjoy this; enjoy _him_. She moaned, and his tongue slipped into her opened mouth. It tentively moved to find her tongue, to goad it out to meet his in a seductive dance that had Hinata melting. She wrapped her arms around Kankurō's neck to keep from falling.

Falling where, she didn't even know anymore.

She just didn't want to fall anywhere that he wasn't there to catch her.

Kankurō started the kiss, and he broke it off, both of them panting. He pressed his forehead into hers as he tried to catch his breath, watching her face as he did. "I apologize for my roughness," he murmured when he could finally speak.

"Don't…" she said, her eyes half-lidded, "It was amazing, Kankurō."

He smiled. "I just didn't think I could hold back anymore. I've been holding back for a while, and I couldn't go any more without this…"

"I'm glad you didn't. I don't think it would've been proper for me to live without ever doing that with you," she admitted, blushing lightly. He raised his head to kiss each cheek. _Too… perfect. She is just too perfect… I love her so much, she's so perfect…_

_So perfect._

* * *

"Oi, Hinata!" called out a male voice. Hinata stopped in her tracks, immediately pulling her hand out of Kankurō's. He blinked at the speed of her moods and nearly asked her what was wrong before he noticed a boy and a dog running towards them. He scowled when he noticed his opponent, Shino, trailing behind him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stoned himself to deal with the two boys… and dog.

"Hi, Kiba-kun. Hi, Shino-kun," said Hinata, smiling at her two closest friends. The puppy bunched up its hind legs before jumping into her arms, surprising her. She barely caught him in time. The dog didn't seem to notice—it began to lick the bottom of her chin. She giggled and rubbed the puppy's fur.

"Hey, who's this guy?" asked Kiba as he came close, his nose filled with the unfamiliar scent of Kankurō. Kankurō was momentarily confused at the prospect of this kid not recognizing him before he remembered that he wiped off the face paint, took off the cat's hood and the shirt, and left behind the puppet.

"Chūnin from Suna," he said in a deeper voice, "Sent ahead to make sure everything was good here for the arrival of the Kazekage. Hyūga-sama was just showing me around the village."

Maybe he was dense enough…

He was.

"Oh. Okay. I guess that's fine." He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba. That's my dog, Akamaru." _Yeah, I know, stupid_, thought Kankurō. "Well, I was gonna ask if Hinata wanted to come with us to get something to eat. You're invited to come along with us if you want… whatever the hell your name is."

"Kurō," said Kankurō, not even bothering to come up with an imaginative name to give to the boy. Kiba nodded and smiled, a bit apprehensively, at the older Genin. _God, he's stupid_, thought Kankurō as he reciprocated the smile.

"Kiba," said Shino, putting a hand onto Kiba's shoulder, "I think it's best if we leave them be."

"But…"

"The sooner Hinata finishes showing him around, the sooner she can join us," said Shino, flicking his creepy gaze over to Kankurō. He had already identified who it really was with Hinata; his bugs had recognized the chakra signature. While he didn't exactly like the idea of Hinata being friendly with the Sand shinobi—he actually found it to be quite a bad thing, in his opinion, seeing as how he had no trust for the boy—it was Hinata's choice, and he needed to respect it. Hinata seemed to know that he knew: she nodded and gave her friend a small smile. Shino sighed and smirked despite himself. He gave Kiba's shoulder another squeeze. "Kiba, let's go. Leave Hinata to her work."

Kiba looked back at Shino with the face of a kicked puppy. "Okay… c'mon, Akamaru… I'll see you later, Hina-chan," said Kiba sadly. His puppy licked Hinata's chin once more before hopping out of her arms, running excitedly after Kiba.

"I'm sorry," said Kankurō once they were out of earshot, "I didn't mean to chase away your friends…"

"You didn't. Shino made the decision all by himself. He's, um, very intuitive sometimes, whereas Kiba can be slightly… thick." Hinata giggled and reached out for Kankurō's hand again, which he eagerly accepted. He pulled her into him, kissing her temple. He could not get enough of her—her laugh. Her smile. Her looks. Her softness… it drove Kankurō mad with need and want.

He was saddened when they finally reached her home.

"We didn't get to train again today," said Hinata, pouting, "And the tournament is on Tuesday. No more training!"

"Hey, you're pretty damned good already; I don't think you really need more training," he said, kissing her forehead. He played with the locks of hair in the front, framing her faced. "Your hair is so soft, Hina…"

She giggled. "Thank you. And yours is, too." She went on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, making him blush. Kankurō raised an eyebrow at her when she returned to her whole foot. "That was a good luck kiss… for the tournament."

"I'm going against Aburame Shino. You want me to win against your teammate, your closest friend?" he asked, surprised.

She frowned. "Well, even if Shino-kun does win, there's a chance you both can become Chūnin… so let's say the good luck is towards that." She looked at him seriously. "Kankurō, I know… killing… is allowed in these exams… but promise me that you won't entertain the thought of it for Shino-kun…"

Kankurō's eyes widened. "No!" he said, shocked she'd even think that. "Why would I try to kill a best friend of a girl who actually genuinely likes me? I'd have to be a moron to think that would put me in good favors with you, and I can't be… umm." His rant was interrupted by Hinata's tight-lipped kiss, his arms immediately circling her. It was a chaste kiss, and Kankurō let it remain so.

She smiled and pecked his lips again. "Good night, Kurō-koi," she whispered as she let go of him, walking into the Hyūga grounds with her bag in hand. Kankurō watched her every move, entranced by her. _I… I'm Kurō-koi,_ he thought happily, grinning like an idiot, _she considers me… her boyfriend… I am Hyūga Hinata's boyfriend…_

He took a deep breath before bellowing into the post-dusk air, "WHOO! FUCK YES!"

* * *

Hinata blushed when she came inside, closing the door to the manor behind herself and leaning against it. _I just called him Kurō-koi… and he liked it_, she thought, her blush increasing tenfold at the thought. _Kankurō is… my boyfriend! _

"So… who was that?" Hinata jumped a meter in the air, deeply terrified by the sudden intrusion into her thoughts.

"God, Hanabi," said Hinata once she calmed herself, "Don't you ever say hello first when you see someone daydreaming?" She was only half-joking.

"Hello," responded Hanabi, rolling her eyes. "Who was the boy who just walked you home? The one you went all… smoochy-face with?" Hanabi grinned, deeply enjoying the red blush on Hinata's face. "I thought you were into Uzumaki Naruto… but who was that guy?"

"He's… Kankurō." She saw no point in lying to her.

"Uh-huh. Is he from the village?"

She squirmed. "No."

"Is he from the Sound, or from the Sand?"

"He's from Suna…"

Hanabi's eyes widened. "Oh, my God! You're seeing _that _Kankurō? The Kazekage's _son_? That one?"

"Yes! Now quiet down; Otousan might hear you!" cried out Hinata, slamming her palm into Hanabi's mouth and dragging her to her bedroom. Once there, Hinata released her younger sister. Hanabi jumped onto her bed excitedly. Hinata watched her with pain in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"You're seeing that puppet guy! You're seeing the puppet guy! Oh, my God, Neechan!" Hanabi slammed down into a sitting position on Hinata's bed, making her wince out in pity for the younger girl's behind. "Did you know he hates kids? He tried to kill Konohamaru! Oh, God, wait until he meets me!"

"Hanabi! You know I'm never bringing him home to meet Otousan!" she snapped at her sister.

Hanabi giggled, remembering her father's rather strict rules on dating. "I don't care; I'll meet him on one of your dates. How long has this been going on? Weeks? Months? Years?"

"Hours," said Hinata, "We only just kissed today."

"What? How do you know him, then?"

Hinata sighed. "He… he's been training me in the puppet arts."

Hanabi's eyes bugged out of her sockets. "Hinata," she said seriously, "If Otousan found that out, he'd… he'd kill him!"

Hinata winced. "Yes… I know. But I am good at it; much better than I am at closed-distance. And Kankurō is the best teacher I've ever had. He is so encouraging, so patient."

"So _loving_," teased Hanabi, using a gushy tone that sounded nothing like Hinata. Hinata groaned and sat down on the bed next to her younger sister. "You know I'm only teasing. I'm happy for you, Neechan. You deserve to be happy with some guy who obviously is head-over-heels for you."

Hinata raised her head slightly, giving her sister a hesitant smile. "You think so?"

"Yes."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Of Promises

**Well, I'm back again! Next chapter to "Of Strength"! **

**Umm. I'm not exactly proud of this chapter. It was really hard and I was working on a time constraint. I personally think it sucks, especially around the end. I kind of rushed it, so... yeah. Sorry to disappoint this time around. **

**Oh, and ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: Kankuro is a splitting image of his father. Imagine his dad, but slightly younger... and dark brown hair. So basically, yeah, he's really hot :3 **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto! It's Masashi Kishimoto's, not mine! I'm just some little fangirl who has no life! **

Kankurō deduced three things during the month he spent training with Hinata: one, he loved her. How she managed to snake his way into a cold, deadened heart such as his and not only breathe life into it but make it love living once again was beyond his comprehension; but he found himself unable to argue with the need to be with her, near her. He knew it was dangerous, but he couldn't help it.

Two, he found he loved everything that she loved. The birds that sang in the treetops, the beautiful purples and oranges that came with a sunset, the rush of warmed water as it calmed your muscles after training for a long time; he loved all of it because she liked doing them. He found himself completely wrapped around her finger and hanging off her every word. He didn't mind this very much because of what he felt.

Three, he would do everything and anything to keep her safe, up to and including attaching paper explosives to his chest and tackling whatever enemy was trying to harm her. Kankurō would do anything if that meant her safety was assured.

This was why he was set to betray Sunagakure and keep her safe.

He followed his sensei as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, remaining inconspicuous and quiet. His goal was to meet this contact that Baki was speaking with over the plan, and over his student's roles. He was going to ask—no, _beg_—for one life to be spared out of the oncoming massacre.

Hinata's.

Kankurō had thought about it over two weeks ago, but at the time he'd deemed it to be a stupid idea. What were the chances? But now that the date was so close, so near, he had to worry. Sand shinobi were ruthless and uncaring when attacking enemy, may it be a soldier or a pregnant woman. He couldn't let something happen to her; he _wouldn't_ let something happen to her. He would rather gnaw off his right arm than let her be harmed.

Kankurō hid his chakra signature and stood behind a wall, still in earshot of the men. They were simply speaking about the final details of the plan, something Kankurō had heard already. Kankurō kept his breath low and even, although he was wound tightly and about to explode with fury. He bit his lip as he listened for almost an hour as the two intelligent men spoke amongst each other, seemingly unaware that their conversation was being listened to by a mere Genin.

"And your students, Temari and Kankurō… they'll protect the Jinchuuriki?" asked the contact.

"Yes. They've been full briefed and have agreed to it." Kankurō resisted the urge to snicker—he managed to avoid mentioning the part where Kankurō had bitched him out due to anger. _I am still not that monster's bodyguard. If someone tries to kill him… so be it. I will revel in it. In fact, I will help…_ "You know, it isn't nice for people to listen in on other people's conversations." Kankurō blinked, feeling the sudden killing intent focused on him.

Kankurō grabbed a senbon out of its weapons pouch and showed himself, sticking his hand out so the two shinobi could see it and letting it catch the moonlight on and off—code for 'friendly'.

"Show yourself." Kankurō sighed, sticking his senbon back into the pouch and walked out from behind the wall, trying to extrude confidence. Baki's eyes narrowed out of concern and confusion. "Kankurō? What are you still doing up?"

"I wanted to see who it was you were going to talk to," he replied, taking cautious steps towards the two men. His cat hood wasn't on his head, yet he had kept his Kabuki paint on. He nodded his head to the silver-haired shinobi besides his sensei. "I was curious to see the man helping to pull the strings on the coup."

Baki nodded. "And you have now. And you really shouldn't have been, but since you're not against us…"

"Well, how do you know that for sure, Baki-san?" interrupted the bespectacled man with a smooth voice, interrupting and silencing Baki. He took a step towards Kankurō and leaned into his face, as if searching for something. "I remember you from the exams. You seemed… incredibly obnoxious."

"What if I am?"

"I don't like obnoxious," spat the man, brining a kunai to Kankurō's right cheek and pressing it down. Kankurō didn't flinch, seeing as how he had worse threats from his own family. "It's the weakling's way of asking for attention from the strong…"

Kankurō's anger flared as he brought a senbon up to the man's throat, the tip brushing his skin. "I'm no weakling," he spat.

"And it's easy to push you," said the man, smiling and removing the kunai from Kankurō's cheek. "I wonder how you made it to be a shinobi, Kankurō-san. Having such a powerful father must work wonders, doesn't it?" Kankurō's eyes flashed with anger, and the silver-haired man turned around. "Baki, may I chat with your student alone? I won't keep him long… nor will I kill him for eavesdropping on a delicate and private conversation; I swear it you."

"How do I know to trust your word?" Baki said, flicking a glance at his furious student. _Both of them do not have the best tempers in the world… but in this case it would be wise for Kankurō to try and keep it together; otherwise we might all be dead! _Kankurō's hand twitched, going to his shuriken holster on his thigh. His eyes flashed with anger, bloodlust, and… something else… was that _sorrow_? It confused Baki. _Why would Kankurō feel sorrowful right now? _

"You don't, but you're going have to," said the man, smiling pleasantly. "Because if you don't leave now, I might get angry. I don't think it'll be a good outcome for either of you."

Baki wanted to shiver at the evil overtone to the man's words, but he held it back. He instead nodded and walked away, stopping next to Kankurō to whisper into his student's ear, "Don't you even think about killing him. He is so far out of your league… and mine." Kankurō flicked a quick glance at his teacher and nodded his affirmative. Baki sighed, hoping Kankurō really was listening to him, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Only you can drive me to drink on something like this." Kankurō smirked, his attentions completely focused on the contact.

_Fourth Kazekage… you have no idea what you've done to your children… especially him…_ thought Baki as he ran off, leaving Kankurō alone with him.

"This is about that Hyūga girl isn't it," sighed the contact, pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. Kankurō's eyes widened in shock. The contact shook his head, amused by his dumbstruck expression. "I keep tabs on all of those who are a part of the plan. Especially you three siblings. I wasn't exactly pleased to find that you've begun to pursue a relationship with her; though I see why… she's quite pretty. She'll be a knockout when she's grown up, that's for sure…"

Kankurō grinded his jaw. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Ooh, you're a possessive boyfriend, aren't you?" the contact asked, smirking at Kankurō's tight, angry tone. "Well, that's rough. Seeing as how… she'll be killed. But that's exactly what you want to talk to me about, isn't it? You want to give her protection?"

"Yes," said Kankurō, keeping his grip tight around the senbon and his defenses still up.

"Fine."

Kankurō blinked. "What?" he asked in surprise.

"I will give her protection. It seems a pity to let such a pretty thing die…" he said, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "Besides, she may be of use to my master. With what she has… I think a thing like her is something worth keeping alive."

"How much do you know?"

His eyes flashed evilly. "I know everything," he said with glee, laughing. "I know of her Byakugan's range, I know of her chakra control, and I know of the Wood affinity she has… she's just a bounty of special, isn't she? And she's easy to manipulate." The contact came close and pressed his fingertips onto Kankurō's forehead. "Don't seem so mad, puppet boy… after all, it was you who helped me get all this information. If you hadn't expressed such a vivid interest in her, none of this might have happened." He pulled back, still smiling. "Don't worry; no harm will come to her… I'll trap her in a special genjutsu. She won't even feel anything."

"How do I know to trust your word?"

"Haven't you heard a word I said?" he said in annoyed tone. "She's useful, gifted. Why would I kill one of only two still-living known Wood users? That is just an asinine idea." He turned away from Kankurō. "Now, go. I can sense that while your sensei is out of earshot, he's still in the area. You Sand shinobi have no idea how to really hide your chakra, do you?" He shook his head and waved his hand at Kankurō. "It doesn't matter. Leave."

"I have your word?"

"Yes. Now you're irritating me. Leave before I go back on my word to your sensei and murder you right now."

Kankurō nodded and jumped away, numbed by the entire conversation. He passed by his sensei, not acknowledging him in the least. Baki opened his mouth, but Kankurō kept moving, going further and further away. _Where is he going? _Baki wondered, considering following the boy. He shook his head. _It's best to just leave him alone when he's pissed, _he thought, running back to the hotel.

Kankurō slammed down onto the roof of the Hyūga complex, unable to think about moving forwards any more. "Fuck!" he yelled out in irritation, screaming at the moon with all the fury in his heart. _She's in danger and it's my fault! I can't protect her because I'm so weak! I can't…!_ Kankurō grabbed at his hair, falling down into a fetal position. _He's right! I'm just some weakling! I can't protect even this one girl, and she's my entire world! I don't deserve to be a shinobi! _

"Kankurō, what are you doing here?" Kankurō flinched and went into a crouch, hand traveling to his shuriken pouch. He sighed in relief at the sight of familiar lavender eyes. She looked down at him in concern before coming close to him, kneeling in front of him. Her eyes were soft. "Kurō-koi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, not wanting her to worry about him.

"It doesn't seem like nothing," she whispered, "You look like a man in pure anguish. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"I just…" He gulped dryly, preparing himself to lie to her. "I'm just conflicted… about the match against your friend, the Aburame. I don't want to harm him, but I want to move through the tournament…"

Hinata nodded, seemingly understanding of the explanation he gave. _Thank you. Thank God you believe me right now. _"Well, do you want to come… inside?"

His eyes widened. "Inside, do you mean… your bedroom?" The thought made his nose start dripping with blood. He pressed a thumb to the opening, a blush plaguing his cheeks. "Ah… I'm sorry, Hina-chan. I… this is… my thoughts are… well, I'm not in the right place, right now… obviously."

Hinata blushed. "It's okay, I think that was my fault," she muttered, holding back a smile in light amusement. She moved into him, forcing him to lie down on his back as she laid her head on his broad chest. His hand automatically traveled to wrap around her body, holding her tight against him. She shimmied up to lay her head in the crook of his neck. "Try to get some sleep, Kurō… you have a match tomorrow."

He sighed. _If you only knew that the match wasn't causing this anxiety…_ He kissed her forehead and held her tighter. _I found you. I'm not letting you go at all. I found you. _

"I love you," he said aloud before he could stop himself. He cursed internally when her head snapped up in surprise, eyes wide. "I… uh, no, I'm sorry. It's too early for that. Ah… dammit…" He looked away, mortified. _God, I always seem to make myself look like the biggest moron in front of this girl. How can I do it so easily? _

She giggled. "Oh, stop it," she said, smiling. "It's not too early for that, you weirdo."

He looked at her, face bright red and extremely hot. "Don't lie to me," he mumbled, "It won't save my feelings…"

"I'm not lying! Oh, Kankurō!" she said dramatically, rolling her eyes. She put her hands on his chest and lowered her head to give him a peck on the lips. "I… I love you too, Kurō."

He blinked and grabbed her shoulders, surprising her. She blinked and said, "K-Kankurō?"

He swallowed. "Say that again, Hina…"

She smiled, seeing what he meant. "I said that I love you, you big moron!" she said before craning her neck to kiss him again. His lips were stuck in that one position, and she giggled again. "You know, kissing doesn't quite work when you don't move your lips…" She was interrupted when Kankurō brought her face down to his, bringing their lips together again. She let out a little moan, kissing Kankurō with as much hunger as he did her. He tightened his grip on her shoulders, unable to even think about leaving bruises on her.

_Nothing will happen to you, ever_, he thought as his eyes closed, losing himself in bliss. _I will protect you. Whatever it takes, Hyūga Hinata, I will protect you. Because I love you. _

_I love you._

* * *

"Kankurō." _Her touch, her scent, her taste—all of it was driving him absolutely crazy. His hands traveled to whatever parts of her she allowed, which seemed to be all parts. Wherever his hands didn't go, his lips went—sucking, biting, kissing. Anything to get a reaction out of her. _"Kankurō." _Her lips moved out of sync with the sound of his name, but he didn't care. He was focused, intent. He brought his lips up from her porcelain neck to taste her lips, sucking hungrily on her bottom lip. She let out a moan and shifted under him. _"I think he hit his head too hard." _Kankurō frowned, picking his head up to look his pale beauty in the face. Her lips moved, but the voice didn't match. _"Yes. I think so, too. He's not in a coma, which is good… he's just dreaming, probably." _Kankurō's eyes widened. __**I'm… dreaming? What the hell is going on? **_

_Wait a minute. How did I get here? _

_Why do I feel like I'm falling? _

"Oh, SHIT!" cried out Kankurō seconds before he made impact with the cold forest ground. The fall kicked the breath out of his lungs, and he became a coughing, shaking, cursing mess as he tried to collect himself and figure out whatever it was that was going on.

"I think he's awake now," said a monotonous male voice. Kankurō's vision was suddenly filled with a bespectacled boy. Kankurō blinked and tried to connect a name to the face he was seeing before him. "He's disorientated though."

"Ugh," said Kankurō, a nauseous feeling gathering in his stomach. He sat up only to have to run over to a nearby bush to violently vomit the contents of his stomach. "Son of a—what the hell happened to me?" Kankurō stood up taking in his surroundings. _There's a lot of trees. God, I really do think I hate Konoha… wait, dammit! _He suddenly remembered everything: waking up on Hinata's roof, going to the Chūnin exams, watching Gaara lose control, and lastly fighting Aburame Shino—the kid behind him.

"How long have I…" said Kankurō, standing up and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He faced the teammate of his girlfriend, trying to remain calm and collected.

"Half an hour. You fell when the bugs attacked you, and you hit your head." Shino stared at him, gauging his reactions. Kankurō sucked in a breath. _Half an hour! Crap, how far ahead did Temari get with… oh no… Hinata's at the stadium still… and I bet by now it's a major battle zone… _Kankurō flicked his gaze around, trying to find his location. "Did… did you hear anything from ahead?"

"No." Kankurō whipped around at the sound of a new voice to find himself almost nose-to-nose with a man who was almost an exact copy of Shino, only with facial hair. _This is his father… I bet he's an ass too, _thought Kankurō, eyes burning with hatred. "Nothing was heard… Shino has already filled me in on what is happening."

Kankurō sighed before stiffening up again. "What about the arena?"

"The shinobi are holding their own. The crowd is under genjutsu and they are fine," replied the man.

Kankurō didn't dare to exhale in relief. He turned, not wasting any time. _Shit! _From what he knew, Hinata was in the crowd… and if she was there under a genjutsu, then she was completely vulnerable! _I don't trust that contact of Orochimaru's! He'll take her now! _

"I will come with you," said a voice beside him. He turned to see the Aburame boy following him, keeping speed. "I know Hinata's back there, judging by the reaction you just had, you think she's in danger… besides, I owe you."

"You owe me nothing. You beat me," growled Kankurō.

"You also outsmarted me with that gas bomb… a drug made to seem like poison… you fooled even the beetles," said Shino. "You obviously did not want me to go ahead, to see whatever it is that Uchiha Sasuke is opposing at the moment. And… I thank you for that. Additionally, Hinata is my teammate. Even if I were not indebted to you, it would be because I want her to be safe."

Kankurō sighed. "I promised her I wouldn't try to kill you."

"And I appreciate that of both her and you." Kankurō let a smile creep onto his lips despite himself. _This bug creep is kind of cool, to be honest…_ "Do you love Hinata?"

Kankurō bit his lip. "I do. I don't think I would breathe right if she were harmed. I should be more concerned about my brother and sister, but…" Kankurō shrugged. "She's important to me. I think she's the first person I would ever say was precious to me… in a long time…" Kankurō smiled softly, but his lips flattened out into a frown quickly. "Why did you ask? What does it matter to you? Do you love her?"

"No," replied Shino in that same monotone voice, "At least, not the way you love her… she is someone I would consider to be a sister, but I would protect her with my life if it came down to it."

Kankurō nodded, looking back at the accompanying Leaf shinobi. "Exactly what I wanted to hear."

The two moved in silence, finding themselves back at the arena within minutes. Kankurō sucked in a breath upon finding the state of the village. _It's… annihilated… _he thought, staring with a mixture of horror and disgust, both emotions pointing towards himself. _And I helped with this… there are children, mothers, aunts… and I helped to harm them! _A glint of silver caught his eye, and he moved as quickly as he could. He fell onto his stomach, letting the Sand shinobi fly over his head. "Shino, I—"

"Go. I shall deal with him," interrupted the bug-wielding shinobi besides him, jumping away before Kankurō had time to argue. He watched the Sand shinobi run to Shino. Kankurō found himself smiling with pure amusement. _He has this. This is nothing. _He was surprised at the large amount of respect he had for the Leaf shinobi; he barely knew him!

Kankurō jumped over the wall of the arena easily, taking in the sight of the fighting ninja. _If I had Crow, I could get him to survey and find Hinata much more easily. Dammit, where did I leave him? _Kankurō pulled off his distinctive cat hood, stuffing it into his back pocket and leaping down from the wall, jumping into the tree on the edge of the arena floor. _Where did she say she was going to be? Where can she be if I don't…? THERE! She said she'd be in F8!_ Kankurō propelled himself out of the tree, narrowly crashing into a sleeping civilian. He ran up the steps, taking two at a time. He reached the top of the stairs, looking left and right. He squinted at the sight of a girl in a blue jacket. _Is that… THAT'S THAT KIBA-BAKA AND HIS DOG WITH HER! THAT'S HINATA! _

Kankurō scrambled over to her, falling to his knees before her head. He took in her peaceful sleeping face. "He said they'd be on a different genjutsu… how do I release this one? Crap, I have no practice on the topic of genjutsu. I really should get some! Dammit!" He crashed his closed fist against the cement next to Hinata's head.

The air shifted in intensity, a subtle change that he barely detected. _That's… bloodlust! _Kankurō's eyes widened at the realization of what was happening. His body worked on instinct, turning around to face his enemy as he grabbed a senbon. Black eyes flashed madly as they begun to bring down their sword. _Shit! I can't stop this! _

"_KANKURŌ!_"

**Well, I just had to write at least one cliffhanger, otherwise this writing shit wouldn't be very much fun... besides, I owed it to myself for writing such a bad chapter. **

**UNTIL NEXT TIME! **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Of Familial Love

**Here it is! The next chapter. I know I left a cliffhanger, but all shall be explained :) Just be patient. **

**To answer ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****'s question: the beginning of the chapter is something that occurred the night before. The italics is what Kankuro was dreaming about prior to waking up in the company of the Aburames. And to avoid any confusion that may arise with my readers, there is a section like that in this chapter, but it's Hinata's dreams... and it's also a memory of what took place at the end of the previous chapter (what happened after I cut it off, I mean). **

**DISCLAIMER: Look, it's obvious I don't own Naruto; otherwise what I write here would've been what happened in the manga and anime. And a lot less people would be dead... **

He sat restlessly on the bench outside of the room where Hinata was resting. He tapped his foot impatiently and he was constantly looking around, both anxious and crazed. He asked every nurse that went into the room what was going on, and he was consistently unsatisfied with the results. He gnawed on his bottom lip and wove his fingers together. _God, I hate hospitals_, he thought, _they smell like disinfectant! It's disgusting! _

"Hey." Kankurō nearly shot to his feet before remembering the voice. He settled down and grumbled as the boy took a spot on the bench to his right, settling in comfortably. "What did the doctors say? About her… condition?"

Kankurō laughed bitterly. "Not a damned thing and it's eating me alive," he replied, flicking a glance at Shino. Shino nodded sagely and offered Kankurō some spinach out of his bento. Kankurō couldn't stop a look of disgust from crossing his features. "Sorry… I'm not a big spinach fan." Shino shrugged and instead offered him shreds of beef he had no interest in eating, which Kankurō ate appreciatively. "Thank you."

"It's fine. From what I understand, you have been running back and forth from Hinata's room and your brother's all afternoon without taking time for yourself," replied Shino, taking another bite of food. "It's almost ten PM. I'm sure you should go and sleep somewhere…"

Kankurō shook his head. "Doctors already tried that approach. They can't get me to leave. Hell, I don't want to leave." Shino raised an eyebrow, and he sighed shakily before adding, "I guess I'm too worried… about the both of them." He closed his eyes. "Gaara, he… apologized to me about what he's done."

"I assume you two don't have the best of relationships."

"No. Far from it. We used to, I mean. But then my uncle passed, and… it's complicated," sighed Kankurō, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it seems like now; he wants to… make amends. And two months ago, I would've refused. But, now…? I don't know. I think… I think I want to try and fix my family."

"Is it because of Hinata?" asked Shino, curious. Kankurō wanted to say yes, but he knew that she wasn't the complete reason why. It was because of Shino. He might not know the Aburame that well but he witnessed the relationship he seemed to have with his own father, and he found himself craving the same type of attention. While quiet and stoic, Shino's father seemed to give an aura of pride and love when near his son. And Kankurō remembered the feeling—he'd gotten it from Yashamaru.

He wanted to give Gaara the feeling. He wasn't sure if it would fix Gaara; make him sane, but he had to try. _He's my little brother, after all… I'll be damned if I don't try for him_, he thought, giving a small smile at the thought of Gaara as a baby. _Maybe it won't be successful, maybe it won't change the person he is, but I think that as his brother, I need to try. _Kankurō looked up at Shino and smiled. "You don't need to stay here… I think you've had an exhausting day."

"You have as well," replied Shino in his monotone voice, "And like I said, Hinata is my teammate… besides, it's not like I'm the only one who's waiting for her to wake up."

"That's right!" yelled out an excited voice, followed by a bark. Shino seemed to snicker as he looked down the hall to see Inuzuka Kiba running down the hall, his dog right besides him. Kiba grinned at the two shinobi and pushed at Kankurō's shoulder, moving him over so he could sit on the bench between them.

"You are way too excited for being in a hospital," said Kankurō, shaking his head. Shino nodded in agreement.

"Hospitals need to be less depressing! That's why I'm here, I'm gonna entertain Hinata-chan when she wakes up! It's the least I can do for doing nothing to protect her from that Kabuto-dick," said Kiba, still smirking despite what he was saying. Despite himself, Kankurō found himself smiling along with him. "Dude, you look like you're about to pass out. You should take a nap…"

"I should be seeing Hinata right now," said Kankurō, looking down to see Akamaru whining at him. Akamaru stood on his hind legs, front paws braced against Kankurō's knees. He rolled his eyes and picked up the small puppy, placing him on his lap. Akamaru yipped happily and licked at Kankurō's chin.

"He likes you," said Kiba with that same smirk. "He considers anybody who wants to protect Hinata-chan, Shino, or me a friend." Kiba put his hands behind his head. "So I guess I should familiarize myself with your scent if you're gonna be with Hinata-chan."

"You haven't yet?" asked Kankurō, petting Akamaru's soft fur.

"I can recognize it after a minute… like what happened on Saturday." Kankurō winced. _He did know it was me_? "It's okay. Shino got me to understand I was kind of intrusive on you guy's private time. I guess I'm more like a puppy sometimes than I really realize," he said sheepishly, smiling softly.

"He can be a nuisance, but he means well," said Shino, earning an angry glare from his best friend. Kankurō smirked at their friend-enemy relationship. _So this is what comrades are supposed to do with each other… joke and kid around…_ he thought, looking away.

"Wait, so how's your brother doing?" asked Kiba suddenly, smile disappearing.

Kankurō sighed. "He should be fine in about two days. His chakra is just depleted, and they want to keep observation over him. They know about his, um, condition."

"You mean of the demon," said Shino.

Kankurō coughed awkwardly. "Well… yeah. Because of that demon, he can't sleep otherwise he'll try to take over and destroy whatever small amount of Gaara that's really left, not to mention whatever thing gets in his way. So, he can't just sleep and build up his levels that way… so he's under strict observation. I check on him about every three hours, to relieve Temari for a little bit."

"But he's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Kankurō, nodding. "He's in one piece… just different…" He trailed off, thinking about the earlier conversation he'd had with Gaara. It'd been about six o'clock or so, and Kankurō had just been slipping in as Temari slipped out, off to do God knows what.

"Kankurō…?" said his brother, staring out the window. The sun was about to set, nothing Gaara hadn't seen before; but he stared at it like it was something he'd never seen before.

"Hmm?" replied Kankurō, slipping into the chair on the other side of him.

"Did you love Yashamaru…?"

Kankurō blinked in surprise. Gaara hadn't mentioned his name to him in years. Of course, the two hadn't really had any type of pleasant conversation in years, either. Kankurō's throat was suddenly dry at the thought of talking about his late uncle. _Ojisan…_ Kankurō gulped and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Gaara looked at his brother, seeing him choked by his emotion. His jade eyes uncharacteristically softened, and he closed them. "You don't need to answer. I can see that you did."

"I still do," whispered Kankurō, looking down at his hands.

"But… he's…" Gaara seemed confused.

"It's the same way that I still love Okaasan," he interrupted, closing his eyes. "They're my family… I'll always love them, no matter what condition they may be in…"

"Do you… do you still love me…?" asked Gaara, hesitation crystal clear in his voice. Kankurō couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. _Do I… love Gaara?_ Flashed of his smiling young face came to his mind. All those moments he'd pushed to the back of his head resurfaced, breaking through all his current memories of him. All the horrors, the blood—the face of a smiling young Gaara managed to obliterate all of them. Kankurō let a soft smile touch his lips. _Of course. I just wouldn't let myself see it. _

"I do."

"After… everything I've done… you love me?"

"Yes. You're still the same brother I played with." Kankurō was prepared for his words to go into silence, but he hadn't expected to hear low sniffling. He opened his eyes to see Gaara, crying. "H-Hey!" he said, launching himself forward to touch his younger brother on the shoulder. "Why are you...?"

"I'm sorry." The words were whispered, but they seemed to be screamed in the quiet hospital room. "I'm sorry Kankurō. I'm sorry."

Kankurō was stunned for a moment before he allowed himself to smile. _What's this feeling… in my chest…? _

"It's okay, Gaara. It's okay."

* * *

"Excuse me, where's Hyūga Hinata's hospital room?" The words brought Kankurō out of his thoughts, his head snapping up to see a man with white eyes speaking with a nurse. A little girl with overlong, messy brown hair and similar white eyes stood behind him, quiet and attentive. Kankurō raised an eyebrow. _Is that… Hyūga Hiashi…? _

"Ah, Lord Hyūga!" said a doctor coming out of Hinata's room, ignoring the three boys who sat right outside of her room. Both Kiba's and Shino's eyes widened as they looked at Kankurō, somehow knowing what he was thinking. Akamaru whimpered at the sudden feeling of fury coming from the puppeteer, jumping onto Kiba's lap and pushing his way under his sweatshirt.

Kankurō's fist clenched and his jaw flexed. "Ah, Kankurō!" said Kiba in a shaky voice, "You can't honestly be thinking what I think you're about to do…! Shino!"

"Kankurō, listen to me when I tell you that you'll be signing your own death sentence," said Shino, his voice uncommonly loud. It brought the attentions of multiple people; people who had thought it impossible for an Aburame to speak loudly.

"Otousan… that's Hinata's teammates," said the little girl. Kankurō stood up, giving Hiashi a glare only equivalent to Death's own. Hanabi shivered in fear, apprehensive to what might be brewing. "And… that's…"

Kankurō came over to the two Hyūga, ignoring the pleading of the two boys (and dog) behind him. Hiashi's eyes widened in surprise at the idea of this random boy approaching him with such a look. "You're Hinata's father, right?" he managed to say in an even, deadly tone.

"Yes."

Kankurō nodded. "Good." He brought his closed fist back and threw it into Hiashi's face, hitting him hard enough to floor him. The hallway went silent quickly at the sight of Hyūga Hiashi being struck down by the Sand shinobi. Shino and Kiba stared at their newest friend in shock at the guts he had for hitting probably the most powerful man in their entire village, next to their late Hokage.

Hanabi was the one to break the silence. "O-Otousan!" she yelled, getting down on her knees to attend to her father, who was too shocked to even think of words to say. Kankurō's chest heaved up and down in anger, looking down in disgust at him.

"She's not worthless!" he spat down at him, unable to hold himself back. "She's the strongest person I've ever met! How _dare _you talk down to her as if she isn't worth something?!" He shook with fury, his face reddening. "She's your daughter, goddammit, how can you even _think_ of saying something like that to her?! Are all fathers supposed to be this fucked in the head that they can't see how strong and beautiful and special their own children are?! I'm sick as shit with bastards like you!"

"Kankurō, stop!" said Kiba, seemingly breaking out of his spell. He grabbed Kankurō around his waist, pulling him away. Shino bowed to their teammate's father.

"I apologize for his behavior, Lord Hyūga," said Shino in a strangely rushed tone. "He's just very… emotional today. He's been through a lot, and it's just boiled up finally… he was a bomb."

"Why would he do that?" asked Hanabi for her father. "I understand that they're close, but… to strike down Otousan…"

"He's indebted to her," replied Shino simply, "She saved his life."

"I don't know if you're saying that she made him into a better person…" started Hanabi before Shino held up a hand in interruption.

"No, Hanabi-sama, you misunderstand me. Hinata-chan literally saved his life today." Shino swallowed. He didn't like having to tell her family this, but he knew that he had to; it was the only way to explain Kankurō's aggressive behavior. "Kankurō was under attack and… she... Hinata-chan... she killed his attacker."

The silence that filled the room was like no other.

* * *

**_What's going on? _**_Hinata thought, taking gulps of dry air. __**Why am I lying here on the floor? What happened to…? Naruto's match… did I miss Shino-kun and Kurō-koi's match?**__ She opened her eyes a little, the entire effort taxing on her. She was incredibly and uncommonly tired, not to mention confused. She wasn't sure how and why she'd been awakened, or even how she came to be lying on the cement floor in F8, the section she'd been in for the exams. A fuzzy figure filled her eyesight, his face reddening in anger. __**K-Kankurō? What… why? **_

_She didn't have the time to think. She got a sense of bloodlust before spotting an enemy ninja behind him. His eyes snapped open as he began to turn around, taking a senbon out of his pouch. __**Is he injured? He's not moving fast enough!**__ The Sand shinobi behind Kankurō had a look of glee as he begun to bring his katana down, giving her a sense of urgency. Her eyes snapped open completely as she rushed to her feet. _

_"_KANKURŌ!_" she screamed, activating her Byakugan and, without thinking, striking his assailant in the heart; stopping his heartbeat with pure chakra. The man's eyes bugged open as he stared at her—no, through her—and coughed up his life blood, dropping like a sack of sand onto the ground, dropping his blade. It clatter noisily on the floor. _

**_His eyes, _**_thought Hinata, her mind only just catching up with the thing she just did. She began to quiver uncontrollably at the implications of what she'd done. __**I killed him. I just killed someone. **__She fell backwards onto her behind, tears streaming down her face. Kankurō stared at the man, his mind obviously moving slowly. She felt blood drip down her chin, but she didn't care. __**I just killed someone… for Kankurō…**__She felt herself begin to black out, the last bit of energy and chakra spent. _

_"_HINATA!_" she heard him say before she passed out._

Hinata opened her eyes, blinking slowly. The first thing she saw was a heart monitor. She groaned softly, understanding right away where she was. She had no delusions. She was in a hospital, a place she hated with all her heart. She tried to sit up, only to find that all the muscles in her body seemed to scream at her for trying to sit up.

_My stamina is used up. I have literally no energy. Which means…_ Tears sprung to her eyes. _That wasn't just some dream. I… I really killed someone. I killed a man today._ Hinata wiped at her face. It seemed surreal, but she knew it was the truth. Like it or not, she, Hyūga Hinata had killed someone.

And she didn't regret it.

_He would've killed Kankurō if I hadn't, _she justified, wiping the last of her tears off of her face. She refused to cry for something that had to be done. It wasn't worth it. The way she saw it, it was either Kankurō or that man; and hands-down it would always be Kankurō who came first in her mind.

"Lady Hyūga, you're awake?" Hinata flinched and sat up, instinctively trying to activate her Byakugan but finding herself completely unable to due to her depleted chakra. The medical nin smiled at her, holding her chart in his hands. "It's okay. Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital," she muttered; her throat dry.

"Good. Do you know why?"

"Ran out of chakra and blacked out."

"Very good. Do you remember what village you live in?"

"Konohagakure. In the Land of Fire."

"Good. What are your father's name and your mother's maiden name?"

"My father's name is Hyūga Hiashi, and the second question is a trick. Her surname was, too, Hyūga. Hyūga Suki was her full name."

"Do you have a birthmark?"

"Yes. Small dot on my left ribcage, just under my…" She blushed now, realizing she was about to say _breast._ "Umm… where is Kankurō?" she asked.

"You don't want to see your father?" asked the ninja, surprised.

"I do. But I want to see Kankurō first." Hinata raised an eyebrow. "You do know who he is, right? He's a fourteen-year-old boy with a cat-like hood… I think he has on facial paint…"

"He's that Suna shinobi." Hinata raised an eyebrow at the disgust the doctor had in his voice. _Is that… hatred?_ Hinata wondered, watching the doctor scratch a few more things down on her chart. He certainly had a type of animosity as he pressed down on the paper with his pen, his features tight with anger. "Hundreds of Konoha shinobi injured because of that damned village, and the first thing the little princess asks for is some damned scum from them…"

"Enough." Hinata was surprised to see her father at the door, his eyes hard and unyielding. "If you are done assessing her condition, you may leave us."

The doctor sneered. "There was a time that the Hyūga would be the most unforgiving of us all… now look at your clan." Hinata's mouth gaped. "She's unfit to run your clan. I hope you know that."

"And you are unfit to have an opinion," said Hiashi with tightly concealed anger. The man flinched at the tone. "Leave before I make you regret your words." The doctor looked at her again and scoffed, shaking his head as he walked out of the hospital room, muttering about 'stupid little girls'. Hinata hung her head, feeling disgraceful.

"I… I'm sorry, Otousan," she said softly.

"Don't apologize," said her father roughly and emotionally, more emotionally than he'd spoken in a long time. She looked up in surprise, shocked to see her father barely keeping it together. "I'll have that bastard of a medic's license by the end of the night."

"Otousan, don't do that…!"

"He had no right to speak to you that way!" said her father angrily, falling into the chair beside him. He looked down at his hands. "And I am the worst offender."

"Otousan—!"

"Don't lie to me, Hinata. I've made you feel worthless for a long time." He sighed, expended. "I know I have. It's just because… you're so much stronger than I ever thought you could be… you're as strong as your mother was." Hinata gasped softly. "I'm so proud of you; I've just never been sure how to show the pride I have in you. I just… she was gone in a flash. One second, she was there, and the next gone. And then you began to become so much like her… I was afraid that if I showed how much I cared about you, you'd leave me as well… just like Suki... just like your mother..." He sighed shakily. "I sound like such a silly old man…"

"You're not silly," whispered Hinata, her eyes tearing again. _Otousan… you do care about me_.

"And it took me getting punched in the face for me to realize what a silly old man I was being," he sighed, looking at his eldest daughter with complete love and affection. She glowed, the tears freely running down her face. Her lips formed into a wobbly smile at her father. He stood up and softly kissed her forehead. "My beautiful daughter. You've become a fine kunoichi."

Before he could stop her, she pulled him into a tight hug, surprising him with her forcefulness. He was hesitant to wrap his arms around her until he felt her shudder against him. "O-Otousan…"

"My little Hinata."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Of Betrayal

**So today I was sitting here, just staring at this chapter and re-reading it, over and over. I was having this really bad panic attack over it, wondering ****_God, how many people are going to try and figure out where I live so they can come and murder me for what I'm doing?_**** Yes, I mean to say that many of you will probably hate me a little for what I'm doing to Kankuro and Hinata. **

**I just need to say this to get it of my chest: it's necessary. I don't want to do this- I was actually procrastinating over the writing of this chapter because I didn't want to do this, but I had to. After this chapter, they'll finally grow into the characters I need them to be. Of course, I hate myself a little bit now. All I can do is pray to God that none of you will stop reading after this, because they will end up together. Trust me. **

**To ****McKazekage****: haha, thanks! I do really like Hiashi, but in Part 1 of Naruto all I could think was, ****_This bastard needs to get punched really damn hard_****, so I finally let myself go ahead and do it. And to ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: I am really sorry. I know how excited you are that they finally got together, and then I went and did this... please don't hate me, I really enjoy reading your reviews on this... and thanks for telling me about the misspellings! I completely missed them. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Otherwise Hyuga Hiashi would've gotten punched in the face in the manga. **

**ON WITH THIS CHAPTER. Don't hate me. **

The dark night was cold; a chill that went down into the bones, but Kabuto didn't notice nor care. He moved quietly and swiftly, bringing absolutely no attention to himself. Not that anyone would notice him, anyways; his appearance automatically told people that he was just some kid. Kabuto had to smirk at that: not only was he not just _some kid_, he was probably—no, _definitely_—stronger than most shinobi in the entire village of Konohagakure.

But he used it to his advantage. People tended to ignore those who looked weakest, which was probably some of the reason why Orochimaru had such an interest in the young spy.

Kabuto had no hard time getting into the hospital, despite supposed security measures; he simply had to slit the throat of a guard to the entrance. _My, my, is Sasuke-kun in the hospital tonight? _Kabuto wondered, reveling in the quick, easy kill as he slipped on this new ANBU mask. _It doesn't matter if he is, anyways. He's not my concern tonight. It's that girl… that Hyūga…_

He had wanted to take her earlier that day, when he found her on the brink of death at the finals of the Chūnin exams. Quickly, he did the thing he rarely did anymore for anyone other than Orochimaru: he saved her life, fixing all the damaged heart tissue that those medic nin morons couldn't. It would've been easy to take her at that moment, but the Inuzuka boy had been there. He'd barely had the time to put him to sleep before he found it was time to place the genjutsu. So, infuriatingly for him, he'd had to leave the precious girl behind.

But he was here for her now.

No one looked twice at the disguise he had, as the hospital workers were all accustomed to the sight of an ANBU operative walking amongst them. Some female nurses even smiled at him, as if wondering about the man underneath the mask. All he could do was snicker to himself and think, _which mask? This one… or the one that makes people think I'm a weakling? _

Indeed, that was the question. Kabuto wondered if it would always be the question, but it wasn't something he could ponder over right now. He had things to do, and he had to do them quickly. Get the Hyūga girl and get out. Be back in Otogakure by sunrise. _Wait, I forgot one thing. I've got to slit that little bastard Kankurō's throat before I go. _It was all he could think for the entire journey after he left Orochimaru. The idea of Kankurō's lifeblood dripping down his shirt front and spurting all over Kabuto's face was too enticing to resist. He wanted, no, _needed_ to see his blood weep.

_Hmm, maybe I'll do it in front of her, too. _

Finding her was easy enough. Two ANBU were standing guard at the hallway, and two more by the room. Usually, he would've just killed them. But he felt like saving all his remaining animosity for that puppet-playing little shit head. So he simply put them to sleep, leaving them in a genjutsu that would last for five hours. More than enough time, he knew, but he also wanted to screw around with their careers a little before completely leaving them alone.

Kabuto moved silently, despite his knowledge that he was alone. The door opened easily. _Maybe this hospital should invest in locks for its more high-profile patients_, he thought, laying an eye on the blue-haired girl on the hospital bed. He grinned in glee. _This is easy. _He slipped inside the room, not bothering to close the door behind himself. He dared to touch the flesh of her cheek. _She looks so innocent. I can't wait to ruin it. _

"Who the hell are you?"

Kabuto's head snapped up, looking at the doorway. A medical nin stood there, his mouth agape. He had low chakra levels, low enough for him to never be a problem for Kabuto.

"Are you taking her?" asked the ninja, not moving a muscle.

"Yes." No point in lying to the man. It's not like he'd live very long.

He then surprised Kabuto. He waved his hand carelessly. "Take her. Do whatever the hell it is you want to do with her. She's damaged goods, anyways, and I personally think Konoha will be better off without her." Kabuto raised an eyebrow at the man. _Why would he feel that way?_ It didn't take him more than a second to figure out the answer. _Kankurō. _Kankurō was a sand shinobi, a village who had just attacked Konoha, and not only that he was brother to the boy who was going to destroy the village AND son to the Fourth Kazekage.

_Still._ Kabuto moved quickly as not to cause any real disruption. He ran to the medic and snapped his neck, grabbing his body before it fell. He leaned it against the wall inside the hospital room, once again turning his attentions back to the matter at hand. He pulled two long-length cable ties out of his back pouch, quickly binding together the girl's wrists and ankles. _I can't have her fighting me_, he thought as she began to come to.

Hinata had been dreaming pleasantly, thinking of how happy she was, when she felt sudden and sharp pain on her ankles and wrists. She awoke to find a man wearing an ANBU mask binding them together, to keep her from kicking or swinging. She began to fidget, unsure of what else to do. _I don't even think there's a puppet in this room… where is Kankurō?_ Hinata wondered, her eyes widening in the realization of what was going on.

For the second time in her life, she was being kidnapped.

"Ooh, Hinata-chan is awake," said the ANBU, his voice filled with obvious enjoyment. "Do hold still, girl. I don't want you to fall off of the bed. I'd prefer it if no one was hurt, actually… save for your moronic bastard of a boyfriend that you have." Hinata noticed the overtones of hate that consumed his voice, and the worse part for her was… she recognized it.

"You're the one Kiba called Kabuto," she said, eyes widening in shock. She hadn't expected to see him ever again, especially not in this capacity. She hadn't thought herself to be particularly interesting. Of course, she should've remembered from life experience that with her Byakugan, she would always be considered interesting by power-hungry maniacs.

"Oh, so he told you it was me?" he asked gleefully, delighted at her familiarity with him. "That's good; I don't have to introduce myself to you then! Not that I was going to anyways." He pulled tape out of his pouch and pulled off a piece. "Now hold still, Hinata, and don't scream."

"NO!" she screeched; thrashing and falling off of the bed in a tangled mess of hospital linens. She groaned in pain upon impact before squirming again, trying to move forwards. She felt someone sit on her back, forcing her to lie down painfully. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled back harshly, causing her to wince.

"Now, what did I say? Hold still, and don't scream. And you did both. That's bad, Hinata. You need to learn how to take orders. Good thing for you that I'm willing to let this one go!" he hissed venomously into her ear before flipping her onto her back, grabbing her throat and closing his hand around it. She gasped out, which only caused him to restrict more. _He's… he's crazy, isn't he! _Hinata finally realized, her eyes widening in fear. "Now stop fidgeting and stop trying to escape, or I'll really make you regret it!"

"Hinata!"

Hinata had never been more thankful to hear Shino's voice before in her life. Kabuto growled and jumped off of her, leaving her to cough as she took in fresh breaths of air. "How did you know I was here?" he growled at the bug-wielding teammate of hers.

Shino pointed at the body of the medical ninja. "I put one of my bugs on him to inform me of any changes in Hinata's condition… I didn't expect to find out that you were trying to kidnap her, of course," he replied as Kiba butted past him, crouching down besides the gasping Hyūga.

"Hmm, that's a good plan," said Kabuto, pulling off the mask. They all knew it was needless now. "Where's lover boy, I wonder? I did have two agendas for the night, after all."

The lover boy in question was standing behind the door, seething with anger. Shino had suspected something more brewing, especially after what Kankurō had told him about the protection he'd gotten for Hinata from Kabuto. It killed Kankurō to know that his fears were all confirmed. The contact, Kabuto; fully intended to take his Hinata-chan, to take her from her home and to use her. He wanted to break his neck, but Shino had figured that Kabuto might have a vendetta against Kankurō for some reason and decided it would be best that he stayed out of it.

"He's off notifying the real ANBU about your location and agenda," said Shino calmly as Kiba picked Hinata up, taking her out of the room. "I might suggest you run while you still have the chance."

Kabuto laughed. "I know he's not doing that. That's not Kankurō. He's too possessive of her to completely entrust her safety to anyone else, especially since he's the cause of this entire thing!" Hinata's eyes widened, and Shino cursed internally. "Oh, she didn't know that he came on his knees to me, begging me to protect his precious Hinata during the attack? Did she know about his level of involvement with it? Did she know that his part in the attack was to make sure that the demon in Gaara was released at the proper time to ensure the pure demolition of Konoha? _Did she know that her little boyfriend is a traitor in the eyes of all of Konoha?_"

"Kiba, get her out of here," said Shino, eyes trained on Kabuto. He took a kunai out of his weapons pouch, prepared to fight Orochimaru's best spy. Kabuto laughed at his naivety.

"I may not have Hinata-chan tonight, but trust me, I will," said Kabuto gleefully, enjoying this too much in Shino's opinion. Shino could only watch as he grabbed shuriken out of his thigh holster and threw them at the window of Hinata's hospital room, effectively breaking it. He threw himself out of the hospital room, his laughter resounding ominously in the night air.

* * *

Kankurō sat across from Hinata, staring at her with a worried expression on his face. Her skin was whiter than usual, her lips set into a tight frown as she stared down at her bare feet; only dressed in flimsy hospital pajamas. Kankurō didn't attempt to speak or try to reason, finding it best that she work through things herself. Besides, she would only refuse to listen, speak, look, or even touch him anyways, just as she had an hour ago when he'd tried.

She was so furious.

She was _furious_ at him.

He couldn't blame her. What he'd done to keep her safe had gone_ completely_ against what had known she would want. Besides, the fact that he'd been a part of the plot in the first place would be painful enough. And he'd also lied to her…. Every wrong he'd done to her was hitting him now, full-forced.

_I deserve her anger. _

* * *

Kiba frowned, the silence overwhelming to him. He hated seeing this, because to him Hinata was just not this type of person. She was a forgiving sort of girl, always had been. But the way she looked right now told him that forgiveness was definitely the last thing on her mind. It worried him, quite frankly, due to the fact that Hinata was never this kind of person. She'd never been one for outright fury towards anyone.

She was always so kind.

Kiba looked at Kankurō, his newest friend. His jaw was tight with worry of his own, but he knew that some of it was anguish over the decisions he made to keep Hinata safe. He wanted to be mad and Kankurō for Hinata, but he couldn't. _If I had been in his position, I probably would've done the same thing,_ thought Kiba sadly, looking down at his knees. He would do anything to keep Hinata safe, even selling his soul to the devil if that guaranteed she'd be alright. What Kankurō had done, although it didn't agree with Hinata, made Kiba give him more respect.

_This… reminds me of my parents,_ he thought, looking between the two. _They'll ask me to choose, and I won't be able to. I can't. They're both my friends._ Kiba bit his lip ad looked down at Akamaru, who whined and licked his chin, trying to console his master. But it didn't help his mood any. _I don't want to choose between them…_

* * *

Shino watched the two lovers behind his sunglasses, ignoring the anxiety of the Inuzuka and his dog. His bugs thought what Kankurō had done was gushy and romantic, their opinions irritating him. In more than one ways, his bugs were more human than he, and this was one of those times that they annoyed him with their feelings. _I'm only annoyed because I'm conflicted between two different feelings_, he thought to himself, _because while I know Hinata's justified in her anger and I should take her side, I also know that what Kankurō's done was only for her protection and I want to take his side, too_. Shino wanted to sigh, but he was slightly afraid that if he broke the silence than everything would fall through.

He didn't want Hinata to do what he knew she would. This was the first time that Shino had seen Hinata truly happy, and it was because of Kankurō. He had broken her shell and allowed her to grow, and he was glad that Hinata was so at peace.

They were in love.

There's a stark difference from feeling love and actually being in love. His parents' marriage had been the exact example: his mother had thought she loved his father. She had felt that way. But it disappeared, leaving both of his parents miserable until they divorced. Now, his mother was happy… but his father was destroyed. The love had been completely one sided.

Shino could tell that they didn't just feel love for one another. They were in it, completely and unreservedly in love.

He didn't want Hinata to break it. If what his father had gone through was any indication, with the love they shared it'd rip them apart and leave them to be almost like human vegetables. He didn't want that for either of his friends, to go through what his father had. It had been _him _who'd had to pick up the pieces, _him_ who'd had to put his father back together, _him_ who'd had to be there when absolutely no one else had the guts to.

He wasn't sure if he could handle it if they did break up.

* * *

Hanabi sat next to her sister on the couch, hands on her thighs. She watched her sister intently; scared by the emotional range she was feeling. _Hinata-neechan_… she thought sadly, watching her sister. She knew she was so angry; so pissed at Kankurō. While Hanabi did think that he was a little bit of a moron for what he'd done, she was glad that he'd done it. _If he hadn't… there's a chance that she might've died_, she thought, biting her lip and looking down at her knees. _I want to hate him for Hinata, but I can't… he makes her so happy. I don't want her to push him away._

* * *

"Kankurō?" The sound of a girl's voice interrupted the five shinobi's inner thoughts. He turned around to see Temari, standing in the entrance to the hallway. The five of them had relocated Hinata to a nearby sitting area, deciding it best to protect her in the middle of an open space; though they all doubted that Kabuto would return tonight. Kankurō looked at a nearby clock and nearly cursed, realizing it was three AM.

"I'm sorry, Temari," he muttered, getting up. He didn't truly feel sorry, but he felt that it would be the path of least resistance. "I was supposed to relieve you on your watch on Gaara, I know. I've just been busy…"

"It's… fine," said Temari slowly, noticing the anguish on her brother's face. _I've only seen him this miserable, this angry, this depressed once… when I found him in that closet_, she thought, looking at Kankurō. Oh, how he'd changed, and oh, how horrible did she feel about herself after it had happened. She had only realized then what a royal bitch she'd been to him, kicking him like a dog only because she felt that their mother and uncle gave him more love than she'd ever get. She had lived to see him beat, to see him suffer… she wasn't that little girl anymore, but she had to live with having been that person.

And over the last month, she noticed a change in him. It'd been subtle at first, but she noticed he wasn't tossing and turning in his sleep, overcome by the intensity of his nightmares. He didn't view everything only as _weak _or _strong_ anymore. And then, the final thing: he'd smiled. Oh so softly, Kankurō had smiled sincerely down at the sight of a little boy with their mother and father, all of them laughing as if life was so good. Then the nightmares had stopped, being replaced instead with pleasant dreams with sighs of happiness. Of course, his same temper stayed, but it seemed to have changed purposes.

He was finally happy.

Temari would be damned if she saw this Kankurō disappear.

"I'll leave you," whispered Temari softly, turning around only to find Gaara directly behind her. She bumped into the sand wall that had rushed up automatically to defend him. He stared at his two siblings, no emotions shown in his eyes.

Kankurō stared at him. "What're you doing out of bed, Gaara?" he asked softly.

"Temari left, and when she was gone for more than five minutes I grew anxious," said Gaara, his eyes traveling all over his brother's face. "What is wrong with you?"

Kankurō sighed weakly. "It's nothing you can worry about." He flicked a glance back at Hinata, who hadn't changed positions. Seeing her so distraught was ripping him apart on the inside. He wanted to kiss it away, but he knew he couldn't. No, he knew exactly what was coming to him. He didn't want it, but he had sure as hell earned it. "It's something I have to deal with on my own. Please, go back to your room and rest, Gaara. You need to build up your strength…"

"Is that Hinata?" Kankurō's eyes snapped up to Gaara's face, stunned that he would even know that. "You dream about her sometimes, I think, because you say her name in your sleep. I got curious once and followed you, when you said you were going to look for information on Saturday. I saw you two go for lunch… and then later I saw you kiss her in that back alley." Gaara didn't feel the need to lie to him. "You love her, don't you?" he asked softly, so the people sitting in the sitting area would not hear him.

"I do," admitted Kankurō, giving his brother a wobbly smile.

"And she is mad at you?"

"She is."

"Why haven't you fixed it yet?"

"It's not as simple as you may think, Gaara," said Kankurō, understanding Gaara's misunderstanding of the situation. "When the woman you love is made at you… you, of all people in the world she could possibly be miffed at… it's impossible to be able to think of a way to fix it, because almost always, it's your fault. And right now, it's definitely my fault." Kankurō's eyes fell. "I wish love was as simple as you think it to be… but it's not." He put a hand on his brother's shoulder, surprising them both when the sand shield did not come up to protect Gaara. Kankurō smiled softly, despite his sadness, when he remembered the first time he'd met Gaara, how quickly that shield had fell upon realizing Kankurō was no threat. _All this time, those threats were empty_.

Temari grabbed Kankurō's hand, surprising him. Temari's eyes watched him softly. "We're not leaving you alone when you need us," she said softly, blushing softly. Kankurō looked at her, really looking at her for the first time in his entire life. For the first time, he felt familial love for the girl.

He wasn't facing the possibility of losing Hinata alone.

His family was there.

* * *

Hinata had been slightly watching Kankurō's final and complete reconciliation with his two siblings, and while she was completely infuriated by him, she was happy for him. _Though he's never said it, I know he's wanted to become close with his family. After all, what person doesn't? _Hinata thought, thinking of her own cousin. _And I'm glad for him… but that still doesn't change anything. _

She wasn't mad because he'd gone to Kabuto, because she had the feeling that since Kabuto had known about her abilities he would have come after her regardless of Kankurō's pleading. She wasn't mad because Kankurō had been involved in the attack on the Leaf, though she knew that as a kunoichi of the village she should've been.

She was mad because after all that she'd done to prove herself, he doubted that she could take care of herself. She considered them to be equal, and she thought that if she had enough faith to think he could take care of himself, well; then he would have the same faith in her. But he didn't, instead going behind her back to plead with a man who wanted her Wood affinity, and probably her Byakugan too, for her safety during the coup. _He told me often that he had to work when sparring with me, that I was stronger than I ever realized. How can I prove that to myself if he tries to keep me from danger?_

The answer was that she couldn't.

Not while they were together. The evidence was so clear. She needed to learn how to use her abilities, how to bring them into fruition. While she had saved his life while thinking quickly; she needed to be quicker… and cleaner with it. _And there's so much more I can do, but after this how do I know that he won't try to conceal me from it again? _

The only logical answer kept coming out to be that she needed to break up with him. It was the only way. Despite what she felt for him, she needed to prove to herself—and to him—that she could handle herself. Her fists clenched. She didn't like it; the idea of pushing him away was hurting her immensely. But what choice did she have? She needed him to see how equal they were, and it seemed that he never would if things stayed the way they were now.

A tear dripped out of her eye.

"Kankurō," she said finally, fifteen minutes after Gaara and Temari had taken their place beside their brother. She didn't look up from her fists, and he didn't look up from the bowl of fake fruit. He knew what she was going to say, and it wouldn't change even if he begged. "I… I don't trust you." Logical. He'd done everything to rip it to shreds. "It's not because of what you might think the reason to be, it's completely different… but it's making this so much more painful, you can't even begin to understand." _Oh, I think I can, _he thought, touching his fingers to his chest. Was his heart even beating right now? "I… I can't do this anymore, with you. I…"

"Don't apologize, please, and don't speak anymore," whispered Kankurō, interrupting whatever she was going to say. "I can't hear this. I thought I could, but I can't. I know what you're saying and I understand why you're saying it, but I just can't hear it anymore." His words were choked up with the emotions he was feeling. "Please, if you have any care for me still in your body… you'll stop speaking. Please, Hina… please stop speaking."

Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, and Hanabi stared at Hinata, completely shocked and saddened by what she had just done. _I knew she would, but still to hear it…_ thought Hanabi, her eyes flicking to Kankurō's shaking frame. _Change your mind, _she mentally pleaded with Hinata, _don't do this to yourself, Hinata… you will regret it in the long run. Don't let this come between you._

Kankurō stood up, unable to speak to or even look at her. It would cause too much pain. "Temari, I'm going back to the hotel. I'm going to pack, and then I am setting off for Suna. I will act as representative along with Baki to tell the council about the coup. I hope that you heal quickly, Gaara…" he said, trailing off as he walked away, his back to the entire group.

Only when Kankurō couldn't be seen by her Byakugan did Hinata allow herself to break down and cry.

**Words cannot express... **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Of Hard Work, Part 1

**This is a kind of short chapter, but it's basically the summary of what's going to happen! There will be a time skip in the story, right after this chapter. Things will definitely change... not going to say what, but they will! :P Thanks for sticking with me after what I did in Chapter 10, by the way. I promise you a happy ending! I'm uploading this kind of early, but I'm not going to be able to do this later so... yeah. To ****McKazekage****: hah, thanks for letting me know that leaving the country indefinitely is no longer necessary! Though I do kind of suspect that Black Ops might be waiting in position to take me out...**

**OH! Before I forget, I've been thinking of changing the rating to M so I can write a lemon chapter... would anybody be interested in that? Review if you are... or even if you aren't. Just let me know your position on the idea. **

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Naruto, 'nuff said. **

By the time Hinata had been released from the hospital, her fellow shinobi had heard of both the attempted kidnapping and her horrid break-up from her four-day boyfriend. She found herself bombarded with previously-made plans for her to hang out with multiple people as soon as she left. Team Gai made plans to train with her early in the morning. Sakura and Ino made plans to give her makeovers. Shikamaru and Chōji offered for her to join them in cloud watching and chip-eating. Sasuke made no plans with her, thank God because she never really liked him, but Naruto offered to take her to Ichiraku ramen shop any time she wanted.

She had absolutely no plans of following up on any of these moronic ideas, with the possible exception of joining Shikamaru and Chōji for cloud-watching (she had always enjoyed watching the sky; she just never really had the time for it very often). No, Hinata had her own agenda.

She was going to train.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she yelled out, by luck finding the silver-haired shinobi on the street. She had heard of his alias, the Copy-Cat Ninja, and had hoped that if anyone had the slightest chance of helping her with her Wood ninjutsu; it would most definitely be him. She might not know him that well, but she hoped that she could goad him into helping him.

He turned around, his one dark eye visible. "Hmm?" he asked lazily, flipping a page in the dirty novel he loved to read, one of the Icha Icha series. She turned bright red as she remembered the one time she had tried to read one. _Never again, _she promised herself, shuddering at the memory of the dirty book.

"I need help. I need training," she said, gulping back her nervousness.

"So go to Kurenai," he replied, turning his complete attentions back to his dirty book. She blushed deeper as she grabbed the book out of his grasp, surprising him. She doubted anybody had ever tried to do that rather than just let him show them up.

"It's not something she's familiar with, I believe. I feel that with your Sharigan, you might be better set to help me with my particular ninjutsu problem."

Since she had taken away the Icha Icha, he was forced to listen, crossing his arms. "Alright, Hinata-sama. Let me hear what you want me to help you with."

"I need help with training to become a user of ninjutsu associated with my nature type."

"I see," he said, suddenly interested. Nature ninjutsu, from what Hinata understood, was something that even some ANBU didn't try to master, the entire training for it overwhelming and sometimes deadly if not done right. Though, she didn't have a choice. She needed to learn this… it would protect her. "And just what is your affinity, Hinata? Just so I have an idea. I presume you're a water type…"

"I can use water," she replied, interrupting him. He raised an eyebrow at her. _Just a month or so ago she was this shy, polite little girl who got the shit pummeled out of her by her own cousin… are those rumors about what happened between her and the Kazekage's oldest son true? _

"I presume that you mean you can use more than water?"

"Yes. My natural affinity is to Wood."

Kakashi's eye widened, incredibly intrigued with her. _Well, she is special, isn't she? _Kakashi wondered, looking down at the Hyūga heiress with newfound respect. _Wood… a natural-born affinity to Wood… I've never heard of this before! Her strength could rival the First's… and even the Fourth's… she could become a Hokage in her own right, even…_

"If I were to train you, Hinata," he said seriously, putting his hand onto his hip, "I expect that you listen to me, even when you think I'm wrong. I expect that you adhere to my wishes and my directives. And I expect that you dedicate yourself to this training, seeing as how you're not actually my student. And above all… I expect that you never tell anyone about anything we were to do. Not even Kiba or Shino can know about your receiving elemental training."

Hinata nodded. "I understand," she said before adding, "Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi smiled behind his mask at the twelve-year-old before him.

"I'm not gonna go easy on you, Hinata, just because you're the Hyūga heiress," he said sternly.

"I'm fully aware," she replied, holding out the Icha Icha novel to her new mentor. "And I honestly don't think I would appreciate it very much if you were to go easy on me." Her vigor and excitement over the idea of hard training intrigued him. His own students whined and asked way too many questions about _why _and _how_. It was refreshing to see this girl already familiar with the fact that the life of the shinobi was nothing but training and fighting, a constant cycle that would never end.

_That Hyūga clan is good for something, _he thought.

"Well, then," said Kakashi, taking the perverted novel from her, "Hyūga Hinata, from this day forth, I shall be your sensei! Report to me in the practice fields at five AM!"

"Yes, sir!" replied Hinata, bowing to Kakashi much like she had when she had first apologized to Kankurō for being late. She closed her eyes and thought, _Kankurō… you will see… we are equals!_

* * *

"Temari, I haven't seen Kankurō since the hearings. Have you seen him?" asked Gaara, slipping into his sister's quarters. She was sat on her bed, comfortably and openly reading erotic love stories. She looked up from the current book, giving Gaara a look of concern that told him that she hadn't seen him.

Gaara exhaled. "Sorry to bother you," he said, closing the door behind himself as he went off on his search for Kankurō. The hearings had been almost three days before, and he was worried of what Kankurō might've done to himself in anguish. Contrary to his tone and facial expressions, Gaara cared very deeply for his older brother, and he was worried about what he was going through. He wasn't sure of how some people really handled grief, but he had a feeling that causing themselves physical harm was a solution some explored.

Suicide, for example.

He wasn't sure if Kankurō was the suicidal type, but it was an avenue to explore. He just wanted Kankurō to be safe and _alive_.

But he found he couldn't find him.

"Lord Gaara, should you really be walking about unprotected?" asked a guard. Gaara blinked, confused by what the man was trying to say before he remembered… his father. The Fourth Kazekage had been murdered on his way to Konohagakure by Orochimaru, who stole his face. Since then, the elders had been trying in vain to pin some protection on the three siblings; seeing as how they were probably the best candidates for the seat of Kazekage.

"I shall be fine," said Gaara, waving off the concerns of the guard. _I really do doubt someone wants to steal my face, _he thought to himself, slightly amused, _and I doubt I'd let them get that far before killing them…_ "Have you happened to have seen Lord Kankurō at any point today?" he asked, finding this his best bet to finding his older brother.

The guard wrinkled his brow. "Uh, yes, I did," said the guard, completely shocking Gaara.

_I hadn't expected him to say yes!_ Gaara thought as he said, "In which direction did he go? And how early did you see him go?"

"Uh… in the direction of the desert, and I think it was before dawn," said the guard, thinking fully before replying to the dangerous sand-wielder before him. Gaara's brow furrowed. _The desert? Why would he go there, and why would he still be out there at twelve o'clock in the afternoon? He must be burning out there. _

"Thank you," said Gaara before rushing off, going to find his brother and leaving the young guard wondering what the hell was going on. Gaara was lost in his own thoughts, slightly worried about what Kankurō could possibly be doing out in the desert at high noon. While Kankurō did appreciate the heat of their rainless home, he didn't like it enough to stay out in the glaring sun all day.

So what could he be doing?

Kankurō wasn't far into the miles-long desert, only touching upon the mile border surrounding Sunagakure. Gaara was surprised to see his brother running in the constantly-moving sand, especially on the soft side of the dunes. Kankurō's face was contorted in pain, but he didn't stop moving. Gaara stood behind a wall of sand he created for himself, using his third eye to watch Kankurō's progress. Gaara watched in horror as he ran across the dunes, burning his legs in the knee-deep sand. _What is he… doing? _

Kankurō seemed to realize he was there, throwing a kunai near Gaara's general area, actually hitting the wall of sand in a weak spot Gaara didn't even know existed. The tip of the kunai glinted in Gaara's face pride-fully, showing him the holes in his 'absolute defense'. Gaara blinked in surprise as he let the sand drop so Kankurō could see him.

His face was sunburned and he looked beat-up and exhausted. He panted, unable to speak for a minute. He then began to walk over to Gaara, stumbling in the soft sand of the dunes. "What're you…?" he began to say, but ended up coughing instead, "What're you doing out here?"

"Looking for you."

"Why?"

"Obviously, I was worried about you," he replied. "And what are you doing out here?"

"Me?" said Kankurō, blinking against the glaring sun. All the time he'd spent in Konoha, he hadn't liked the sun there one bit. But now that he was home, he felt himself craving it. The soft sun, the trees, the rain, the indigo hair, the lavender eyes… he stopped himself, realizing his thoughts were changing completely to Hinata. "I'm training?"

"Why?"

"I dunno," he admitted, rubbing the back of his sweaty neck. "I came back and all I could think about was how scared I'd been when that guy came at me with that katana… and I realized how lacking I've been in the area of close-range combat. I can't hide behind my puppets forever, I guess." He smirked. "So I figured I might start with taijutsu. Why the hell not, right? So I come out here early in the morning and stay out here until I feel too physically exhausted to even think, just running in the sand dunes with this damned weight on my back," he said, pointing to the backpack he had filled with a total of ninety pounds in weight.

"You'll kill yourself before you get anything done," said Gaara in a reprimanding tone, pointing down to Kankurō's legs as he said, "And I really doubt that you've had someone look at those burns you have to have from running in the scalding sand."

"It's of ill consequence," said Kankurō, shaking his head. "I'll do what needs to be done."

"Why? Why would you do this to yourself?" asked Gaara, pleading for an answer. Any answer that made sense, because this? This didn't to him.

Kankurō's eyes burned with a sudden intensity that Gaara had never seen before. "Hinata deserves a man who will lay down his life if that means she'll be safe… how can I be that man if all I could do back at that arena was freeze up when someone comes at me with a sharp blade and will to kill? Especially now that Kabuto's willing to do whatever is necessary to have her for whatever thing he wants her for?" Kankurō flexed his jaw and tighted his fists. "I will be the man that Hinata deserves, even if it kills me in the end."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Of Hard Work, Part Two

**Hey, guys! Guess what... I'm gonna start bringing them back together! I'm excited about it for sure. xD **

**Okay, for this story to make sense, I had to deviate from the path of the manga... sorry about that. But it's a fanfiction, so please don't take it too seriously by yelling out 'THAT SHIT NEVER FUCKING OCCURRED, YOU LIAR!' or something. I am perfectly aware of it. Just try and enjoy the story. **

**I've changed the rating! So expect a lemon sometime! Probably within the next three chapters. Definitely not this one. I'm so excited about it... :) To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: thank you! I think Kakashi's one of the best characters, so I had to bring him into it. I just was waiting for an opportunity, and I found it when I realized I did absolutely NOTHING with her natural affinity! **

**Okay, from this chapter on they're older. Three and half years have passed, making Hinata sixteen and Kankuro eighteen. **

**DISCLAIMER: don't own Naruto, sadly. **

**Well, let's get on with it, then! x)**

"Owl, what is your position, over?"

"Dog, I'm outside the west-side third-story window, overlooking the gazebo, over," replied Hinata softly, pulling her katana out of its holster.

In the three and half years since Hinata had last seen Kankurō, she had achieved a lot. Firstly, not only did she retake the Chūnin exams and passed, she also rushed forwards into the rank of a Jōnin. Not long after that, she had submitted an application to become an ANBU operative, which has been quickly green-lighted due to the fact that she had personal training from Hatake Kakashi himself.

It didn't hurt that he still did ANBU missions from time to time, either.

"Owl, do not engage until we get the go-ahead from Deer and Hawk, over," said Dog, AKA Kakashi himself. Hinata could see him clearly with her Byakugan: he was clear on the other side of the property. As she got better during training, the strength of her Byakugan seemed to increase as well. She could now see, clearly, one hundred and ten meters around herself, making her acutely aware of her surroundings at all times.

"I copy, Dog. Deer and Hawk, do we get the go-ahead for engagement, over?" she asked the two accompanying operatives on the mission. She had not been the only member of Rookie Nine to become a black-op: Shikamaru, AKA Deer, had become a very skilled and key operative in the organization. Her cousin, Neji, had also become ANBU, taking the name Hawk.

"Waiting for go-ahead, over," replied Shikamaru in his characteristically lackadaisical voice, as if not caring either way. Hinata resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Even on this important mission, he seemed care free. "Hawk, do we have go-ahead to engage, over?"

"Go-ahead confirmed," said Neji, who was a hundred meters back by Hinata's estimation. "Owl, enter on your side. Make it clean. Assure that third floor is clear before giving Dog go-ahead. Over."

"Copy, Hawk," she replied, leaping out of the tree and landing onto the balcony, katana tight in the grip of her hand. She had already used her Byakugan to make sure of the emptiness of the estate, but even she still liked to be assured of what she believed. She pushed her gloved hand against the paned glass door, opening it soundlessly. She slipped in, treading carefully on the carpeted floor as not to trail any dirt from the outside into the building. Byakugan activated, she surveyed the entire house, assuring herself of the emptiness of the estate. She made it to the opposite side within minutes.

"Dog, go-ahead given. Repeat, go-ahead is given, over." She hated intercom speak. It was tedious and beyond that, annoying to listen to day after day, but she knew it was necessary on missions like this. She wanted to growl in anger when her friends dragged her to countless spy movies in which they used the same chatter. By now, it grated on her ears, and she preferred not to listen to it when she didn't have to.

"I copy, Owl," said Kakashi, slipping into the building much the same way she had. She could see his bright red eye through the mask, glinting in amusement. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. He seemed to know, always, exactly what his student was thinking. Sometimes it amused her, but sometimes it annoyed her.

The two worked comfortably together, moving through the house and making sure all rooms were empty. They reached the basement and sighed with relief, though their relief was short lived. "Mission is a bust," she reported to Shikamaru and Neji, who both groaned in annoyance. This marked the fifth time that they had gone through one of Orochimaru's safe houses in search for Kabuto, a criminal wanted by all five countries; only to come up empty.

"Alright. Permission to torch," said Neji.

"I copy," replied Kakashi, handing Hinata a large stack of paper explosives. Wordlessly, the two spread out the explosives onto the basement and first floor, finding that satisfactory enough to bring the house down in fire and destroy the contents. _Really a shame, _thought Hinata, looking around her surroundings, _it's a beautiful home._

Kakashi and Hinata made their way out quickly, jumping into the tree line to meet up with the rest of their squad. By the time they met up with Shikamaru and Neji, the two were already beginning to set up camp. Hinata slipped off her ANBU mask, tying it to her belt. Kakashi had already swapped masks, his normal one covering his nose and mouth. Neji smiled over at Hinata as she walked over to help him in setting up the tent for the night.

The four of them had been working together on these missions for about a year now, finding that they worked together the best. Neji was obviously the leader, Shikamaru the strategic thinker, Kakashi the best engager, and Hinata the all-around protection with the range of her Byakugan. Also, none of them felt the need to talk uselessly about nothing, so it led to basically no arguments.

Nor did they have any romantic intentions towards each other: Neji was with Tenten, and beyond that he was Hinata's cousin.

Shikamaru was with Temari, and he'd always thought of her as a nice, non-troublesome friendly girl that he'd grown up with.

Kakashi was too old for him to even consider making a relationship with her. He was nearly eighteen years older than her.

And Hinata? Even after all this time… she pined after Kankurō. She still loved him, despite the fact that he ripped her trust into shreds. She had known that she would, even when she'd broken up with him. But her need to prove their equality had been necessary, in her mind.

"Sasuke gives us the right places, but we must be showing up too late or too early," said Shikamaru, "Not that we can tell either way because Kabuto would be the type of shinobi to wipe the place clean of any trace of him before leaving, making it seem like no one had been there anyways…"

"He is thorough," replied Kakashi in agreement, pulling out the dried food from his pack and handing it out to his teammates. They all nodded their thanks and began to eat, not really hungry but needing to keep their strength up. "But I doubt that they're even being used. I think that we should ditch the safe house idea altogether, to be honest. Less aggravation and wasted resources."

"We use the idea because of the research the safe houses may contain, not because the houses might actually contain our target," Neji reminded him, taking another bite of the beef jerky. "The research is infinitely more valuable and dangerous than Kabuto really is. The research is one of our priorities… it needs to be destroyed as soon as possible."

"But what if Kabuto carries it with him?" asked Hinata, tackling a particularly chewy bit of dried meat. "What if he doesn't trust his interests being in one place…?"

"If that were the case, then we wouldn't be speaking to you right now, Hinata," replied Shikamaru, reminding her that while she might have her freedom now, chances are she might not for long. She shivered to remember the night when Kabuto had tried to kidnap her two years ago.

"That was different," she replied softly, "He had no choice."

"He could've taken down Shino and Kiba quickly, and you know that," said Kakashi. "I've seen him in action myself, Hinata. That man knows nothing about qualms. Nothing is impossible for him. The Fifth said herself that if Naruto hadn't intervened, he probably would've killed her." He looked back up at Neji. "I personally think the research is the least of our concerns. Kabuto is a powerful and dangerous enemy; he needs to be dealt with before any attempt of finding the research is made."

Neji sighed. "And I agree with you. But it's what Lady Tsunade wants us to do. And before all… I serve her."

Shikamaru nodded. "It may be troublesome and annoying, but he's right. Tsunade-sama wants to make sure that_ everything _related to Orochimaru's research dies along with him. Without that research, Kabuto's just some lost, sickly kid. A roach without a head, per say." He flicked a glance at Hinata. "Any opinions, little owl?"

"I really do doubt that Kabuto would just leave his research in some safe house that Sasuke knows the location of," said Hinata slowly, picking her words carefully. "I'm something different, because he knows that Konohagakure can't just up and destroy the heiress to the Hyūga clan because he wants me… a civil war would begin if they were to do that. And they also can't just kill Sasuke; he's the last Uchiha. But paper research? Years of scientific study that Orochimaru has collected and saved? He's not going to leave it in one place for someone to find and take. That's something he would keep with him." Hinata bit her lip.

Kakashi nodded. "Your reasoning makes sense, Hinata-chan. But… maybe there is no research anymore. What if he destroyed it after he got what he wanted?"

"It's probable, I admit," responded Neji apprehensively, "But we do have to explore the option that he's left Orochimaru's research in one place before we make any other assumptions. After all, we are going on faith that what Sasuke told us is the truth."

The four sat in companionable silence before deciding that it would be time to rest up. Shikamaru and Neji took first watch, allowing Kakashi and Hinata to rest up for three hours. Since it was only the two of them, they shared a tent, lying down side by side peacefully. Hinata lay on her right side, eyes trained on the blade of her katana. Kakashi had gotten it for her when she had become an ANBU operative, as way of congratulations. The long blade glinted in the low light coming from the small fire outside of the open tent, the low light keeping Hinata attentive.

She always slept with the blade out. She was always ready for anybody to even attempt to take her during her sleep. She let her finger brush against the sharp blade, not pressing hard enough to break any skin. She remembered her look of shock and confusion when Kankurō had told her that he slept with a kunai under his pillow when she was twelve. She hadn't understood the need for it; but she sure as hell did now.

She closed her eyes, smiling softly at the thought of the puppeteer. _Kankurō… I wonder what you're doing…_ she thought, drifting off to sleep. _Please be waiting for me... please still be my Kankurō... _

_I love you. _

Sabaku no Kankurō watched the moon intently, as if awestruck by its presence in the night sky. He didn't dare to close his eyes for even a millisecond as he continued to stare at it, seemingly worried it would disappear from his view if it did. Gaara, his brother, closest comrade, and Kazekage; sat across from him, staring into his face.

Any other person besides Gaara would've asked him why he was staring at the moon so intently. But Gaara understood his reasons. It was because that in the same moment, the same moon would be dutifully staring at the love of Kankurō's life. Hyūga Hinata. By staring at the sun and moon, Kankurō had told him, he felt as if he was close to her; as if they weren't separated by entire countries.

Three years had passed, and this thought had been what kept Kankurō from going off the deep end. The thought that she was close to him, despite distance, was what drove Kankurō to continue on; or at least that was what Gaara chose to believe.

Anyone besides him would've thought Kankurō was already crazy for feeling this way, but Gaara didn't. Gaara understood well of the things loneliness could do to a person, even to someone like Kankurō. This was his way of keeping loneliness at bay, at keeping his heart from ripping into pieces.

Gaara wanted to hate Hinata for what she'd done to him, to his brother. It had been cold and so cruel on her part. He wanted to seethe with anger at the girl. And, for a while, he did. He did hate the Hyūga heiress for breaking Kankurō's heart and leaving him alone when he did truly love her. He hated her with all his heart and soul, even asking Kankurō once, about two years ago, if he could kill her. Of course, Kankurō had refused.

Gaara hadn't understood why Kankurō had refused; he had thought it was all completely justified. It hadn't been until Kankurō had fallen asleep that night on the couch. Gaara had been walking back from his office when he heard him muttering in his sleep. Gaara's eyes had narrowed in concentration, trying to hear what his brother was saying.

"Hi… nata… I… love you…"

Gaara's eyes snapped wide open upon hearing those words, stunned. At the time, he hadn't understood the level of his love for the girl. But upon hearing the tone Kankurō had used when saying her name, he finally understood. He said her name like he was praying, as if she were an angel or even a deity in his eyes. Gaara could tell by his tone that he also couldn't imagine any life without her in it.

She was his complete will to live.

Instantly, all of Gaara's hate had faded for the girl. _If Kankurō loves her this much… she can't be as horrible as I've made her out to be, _he decided, squelching any plans he had for her murder. _I shall learn to like her, for the sake of Kankurō… _

"Hey, Gaar?" said Kankurō, interrupting Gaara's thoughts.

"Hmm?" he replied to his older brother, hoping internally that it was not a question about Hinata. _I may not hate her, but that doesn't mean to say that I know exactly what she's doing at this moment_, he thought, apprehensive to the question Kankurō might ask him.

"Do you think… I'm strong enough?" asked Kankurō, not peeling his eyes off of the moon. Gaara searched his face to find any hidden meanings to his word. Kankurō's face was cleared of his Kabuki paint, leaving him completely opened to his brother. Gaara could plainly see the worry and apprehension on his face.

"Yes," replied Gaara honestly, leaving against his gourd and joining his older brother in sky-watching.

Kankurō sighed shakily, obviously relieved by Gaara's simple response. "How do you know?"

"Would I have picked you to be my bodyguard if I didn't believe that?" asked Gaara honestly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, probably not. I'm not even sure you really still need a bodyguard, though," said Kankurō with a snicker of amusement. "With your sand, I mean… your absolute defense…"

"No defense is absolute; I don't rely simply on the sand anymore," replied Gaara, shuddering as he remembered the horrible injuries that had been inflicted upon him at the hands of the Leaf shinobi back during the Chūnin exams. Kankurō tilted his head back and laughed, obviously knowing what Gaara was thinking about. Gaara scowled at his older brother as a blush of mortification grew on his face, causing him to look away. "Shut up," he growled.

Kankurō simply laughed harder. Gaara allowed him to with some degree of apprehension. After what Kankurō had been put through, Gaara figured that he deserved to laugh at him sometimes.

Gaara had finally been allowed to see all of Kankurō's scars a little bit over two years ago. He'd walked in on Kankurō as he was changing clothes in his bedroom, wanting to talk to his brother about some project for the children at the Academy. Instead, he found that Kankurō's broad back was covered with long pale pink scars; running from his shoulder to the small of his back. They ran through each other, each one crossing another. Gaara's jaw had dropped upon seeing the tough skin.

"What happened to you?" said Gaara, absolutely shocked and disgusted. _How did I not notice this before? I've seen him change many times on missions; how have I never noticed? _

Kankurō jumped, surprised by his brother's entrance. He seemed to calm down upon realizing it was only Gaara, which only a year and a half before would've terrified him. "W-What?" asked Kankurō after he gathered up his composure enough to speak. "What're you asking about, Gaara?"

"Those!" said Gaara, dropping the folder onto Kankurō's desk and moving into the room, coming closer to his taller older brother. He noticed more scars marring his chest and abdomen, along with his arms. A large burn scar covered Kankurō's right hip. Gaara noticed, though, that his wrists and hands seemed to be alright. Why? _He'd been hurt in locations that can be hidden by his clothes!_ Gaara realized. "What did this to you? What're these from?"

"The scars?" asked Kankurō, confused.

"Y-Yes!"

"Oh… um, some of them are from a whip. I think some of them are from a kunai, but I don't quite remember all too well anymore… the one on my hip was from an open fire, I know that…," replied Kankurō uneasily, obviously uncomfortable with recounting all of his beatings for his little brother.

"Who did these to you?" asked Gaara, unwilling to touch his brother with his fingers for fear that he might cause him pain.

"Otousan did… didn't you know that?" asked Kankurō, his tone displaying his surprise at Gaara's ignorance. "He felt… I was a weakling, so he made sure to remind me of it when he felt necessary. He felt it necessary many times." Kankurō smiled bitterly. It was no secret that there was no love between their late father and the puppet shinobi, though Gaara had never known why their relationship was so filled with hatred until this moment. _I'm surprised he didn't kill our father before Orochimaru! _Gaara thought. Kankurō looked down at his bared right palm, staring at the worst burn Gaara had ever seen in his life.

_Does that say… weakling? _Gaara wondered, shocked by it. He finally understood why Kankurō wore those damned gloves all the time. He didn't want anybody to see what his father had done to him. Kankurō looked up at him and smirked, despite the tense atmosphere.

"So I guess you realize now that Otousan didn't really hate you the most out of the three of us," Kankurō had said softly.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Of Alcohol

**Here's the next chapter. I think it's really easy to tell what this one is about ;P Won't tell you exactly what happens in it, but I can tell you that this is NOT a lemon chapter. This was purely for my amusement... because I enjoy playing around with the emotions of characters like this. I hope you guys enjoy as well! **

**To that Guest reviewer: ha, thanks for the props! But I don't know... it'll be my first lemon, so I don't know how it'll come out... I just wanted to try it out, see how it works... To ****McKazekage****: don't worry, it's coming! ;) **

**Hey, guess what? I still don't own Naruto... ****_sadly_****. **

While the past three years hadn't been the happiest of Hinata' life, she had tried to make the most of them. She had gotten closer to many of the members of Rookie 9. She had repaired her kinship with Neji and her father. She even tried to date, though that ended disastrously right after the first one—she found that no matter how mad she might be at Kankurō, no guy could just _replace_ him.

No one could fulfill the standards he'd left in his wake.

Hinata stood under the showerhead, letting the beads of water run down her body and relax her. She'd just gotten back from her bust of a mission, and not even five minutes ago she'd managed to get home so she could relax before having to meet Tenten and a bunch of other shinobi for drinks. The plans had been made almost two weeks before, so Hinata couldn't bow out now.

_I really need to stop making commitments to plans I don't want to go through with_, she told herself sternly, washing the sweat out of her waist-long indigo hair. Out of lack of time for grooming and a large amount of laziness, she'd let it grow out. She knew it'd be a lot to care for, but she didn't mind. She actually preferred her hair long.

It reminded her of her mother's hair.

The beads of water felt incredible as they hit her skin, actually unlocking her muscles and allowing her to make bigger movements. Despite her rigorous elemental training, she still found (aggravatingly enough) that her level of stamina had only slightly increased. Sometimes, the ANBU missions overtaxed her… and left her with sore muscles. _I also really need to pay a visit to the hot springs sometime soon,_ she thought, turning off the shower as she reminded herself that she needed to be at the bar by no later than seven.

It was now six.

This was a village function. Certain bars were staying open late that day and dumping the age restrictions on the drinks for all active shinobi who were above the Chūnin rank. Tenten always forced her to take full advantage of it, saying it'd be a good time for her to meet new men—Tenten still believed that Kankurō was a little bit of a moron and thought that Hinata could just get over him. The problem with Tenten's theory was that Hinata had absolutely no interests in getting over Kankurō.

None whatsoever.

Hinata was not naïve enough to imagine that her purple loose jacket would be suitable for the event in Tenten's eyes, nor would any shinobi garb that Hinata had in her wardrobe. No, the even lay somewhere in the middle between casual and semi-casual, neither of which Hinata had ever been able to do very well. She dressed like a ninja at all times; because she was just that.

A ninja.

Fortunately for her, Tenten knew when she had to stop being the kunoichi and start being a beautiful teenaged girl. She went shopping often with Hinata, oftentimes forcing her to try on clothes that Hinata felt to be too revealing and not built for… damage. Flimsy little dresses and tiny little thongs, those were the things Tenten had purchased for her so she could be Hinata the Teenaged Girl.

_Sometimes I feel that being a teenaged girl is severely overrated, _thought Hinata, sighing internally as she pulled out a simple dark blue camisole top from her dresser drawers, pulling it over her head. She wiggled herself into a black lace thong, for some reason feeling like being daring and free that night. _Now, Tenten will have my head if I dare to wear a Capri or even a jacket with this shirt… so my only choice would be a skirt… and the only one of those I have is very… SHORT._ She pulled out the simplistic black skirt, which begun at the top of her hips and ended WAY before her knees. She resisted the urge to groan as she pulled it up and on.

_I think my dignity is literally being stabbed right now, repeatedly,_ she thought as she pulled her hair up in a high bun, keeping it all together with a carefully placed poisoned senbon needle. She briefly considered stooping so low as to utilize makeup, but all she could bring herself to do was apply lip gloss.

So Tenten wouldn't notice that she'd bitten her lips to high hell.

Satisfied with her work, she walked out of her bedroom, pulling on her more open sandals as she walked down the hall of the Hyūga house. Onlookers viewed her as seeming slightly retarded as she hopped around like an idiot, pulling on one shoe at a time. Affectionately, they shook their heads and thought, _and this is the future leader of the Hyūga clan! _

The past three years had proved to provide stark changes in the clan infrastructure. When Hiashi, the highest member of the Main house, took in Neji, who belonged to the bowels of the Branch house; many of the family members rejoiced. All they had wanted was some sign that they, too, were seen as human beings worthy of respect. While the elder had been disgusted by Hiashi's choice, the rest of the clan slowly repaired the relationship that had been in turmoil since the beginnings of the Hyūga. The days that the halls had been too silent and too terse were gone, replaced by bright smiles and pleasant conversation amongst clan members. When the first inter-branch marriage took place, Hinata had stood beaming at the progress of the clan. Never before had she looked upon her father with such pride.

_My Otousan caused all of this,_ she'd thought, too proud and filled with too much love for the man to even think of expressing her feelings aloud. _With one simple gesture towards his nephew, he changed everything about what the Hyūga are towards each other. _

"Hina-chan," said the nephew in particular, disturbing Hinata's thoughts. She smiled at her cousin as they embraced, hugging tightly. As if they hadn't seen each other just a half-hour ago, as if they hadn't spent two days together. If asked, really, they hadn't. As ANBU agents, whatever they did on missions… never really happened.

Those two days were gone.

"Neji-niisan, how are you feeling?" she asked conversationally as the two pulled away from each other. Neji forced himself to wear a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and Capri shorts for the event that his girlfriend was forcing him into attending. One look from him told her exactly what she wanted to know: he didn't want to go. He didn't want to be sociable with random shinobi. He was _exhausted_. He just wanted to sleep, especially since odds were that tomorrow they would have to get up early to leave for another safe house investigation.

She understood completely. She wanted to do the exact same thing as he. Yet, here she was, (hopefully appropriately) dressed to hit the bars of Konohagakure. It was times like these that she wished that she still received Gentle Fist training. It had been time consuming and gave her an excuse to miss out on a social life. But without it… she was forced to play the part of Normal Teenaged Friendly Hinata.

And she wasn't that girl. She was the quiet one, the still semi-shy one.

She was the dangerous one.

"Well, we can either start going or we can have Tenten come and get us herself," said Hinata, earning a few grumbles from Neji. While he didn't express it, he was scared of her sometimes. So they set off, hopefully avoiding any possible anger that they might get from her.

They reached the bar by seven, already behind Tenten in drinks. The girl sauntered over to Neji and hugged him tightly. She had been spending the past year trying to work through Neji's obvious intimacy issues, working diligently to make him 'loosen up'. Hinata giggled at the thought of a _loose_ Neji—the idea of it was a paradox. Neji's eyes flicked around in suspicion as Tenten kissed his cheek in front of the full bar, even though no one seemed to be paying any mind.

Within minutes, Hinata found herself sitting at a table with a cup of sake shoved in her hand, listening to Ino drone on and on about Sai's emotional damage. Hinata simply nodded and occasionally added a 'right' to keep Ino from noticing her lack of input on her dilemma. To be honest, though, Hinata had no interest in the relationship problem of Ino's; she hardly knew Ino well enough to really care about it. But she did know that Ino was getting pretty hammered over this and needed someone to chat about with it.

"Hey, Ino; Hinata!" cried out Kiba, coming over after seeing his closest female friend's look of despair as the Yamanaka chatter her ear off about God knows what. He pretended not to notice that Ino was in the middle of the conversation, which was just what Hinata needed.

"Hey, Kiba," replied Ino sullenly, turning her attentions away from Hinata and towards her drink.

"Thank you," whispered Hinata as Ino got up and walked away from them, muttering something about needing more sake. Kiba nodded and slipped into the stool, drinking what looked to be pure water. "Where's Akamaru?"

"Ah, he's at home. He's got… well, Akamaru has a little bit of a drinking problem," said Kiba, blushing. Hinata giggled in amusement. She had already known of the nin-dog's love for drink, and she also knew that Kiba was not being completely honest with himself, either. He noticed her look and groaned, saying, "So do I, to be honest, but I decided to come anyways when Sakura threatened to rip off my balls and feed them to mountain lions." Hinata's small frame began to shake with laughter. "Yeah, laugh it up. Just keep the liquor away from me; I become a really weird drunk."

Hinata kept laughing. She had spent way too much time away from the boy, who she considered to be like a brother. Too many missions, so little time to spend with her friend… it was getting aggravating; being ANBU. "So, where's Shino?"

Kiba's eyes blazed with fury. "Shino had a 'sudden mission' to go on with his father about two hours ago… he won't be back until tomorrow morning!" he said, angry about his friend's excuse.

"Sometimes, I wish he would let us know about these things so we don't have to be in attendance," she said, taking a sip of sake, "I could've lived without Ino chattering on in my ear for forty-five minutes."

Kiba winced in sympathy. "Damn, she was talking to you for that long? How much could she possibly have to say?"

"I have no idea. I was hardly listening." Kiba snickered in amusement. "What? I was trying to be nice…" she explained, trailing off. Her pale eyes widened as she looked past Kiba, as if he were not there at all anymore. Her jaw dropped slightly, and she began to blush. "No… way… in… hell…" she said softly. Kiba was confused until a familiar scent filled his nose, bringing him to realize her shock. He suppressed a smile.

Kankurō had entered the bar.

* * *

When Gaara had gone on his diplomatic mission to Konoha to meet with the Hokage about her endeavors to find the international criminal Kabuto, Kankurō had expected to spend five long days hanging in the background; listening in on every word to find out the least bit of information on the location of Kabuto. What he hadn't realized that being the bodyguard and brother to the Kazekage only brought a person so far, and into the matters of ANBU operations it didn't. So he'd been sent out of the room immediately, being relieved by none other than the head ANBU agent. Left with no choice, Kankurō had to leave Gaara there and find other means of keeping himself busy.

So it was either training or drinking. And since he was tired from the long journey to Konoha, he decided to go with drinking.

He hadn't known that the bar he chose to go to have an open-bar policy, or even a no-ID event; that night and what he definitely wouldn't have expected was that his Hinata would be there.

When he saw her, he felt like the breath had been forced out of him. All he could do was stare. He'd thought she was a beauty at twelve. Well, now at fifteen or so, she was a freaking _goddess. _Her wide lavender eyes were the perfect mixture of innocence and seductiveness. Her dark hair contrasted with her pale white skin, reminding him of milk. Her lips were larger than he remembered, more attractive than they had ever been before. And those curves… Kankurō swallowed dryly. _She is so perfect, _he thought as they found themselves stuck in a sort of staring contest; neither wanting to break contact.

_Why does he have to be here? _Hinata wondered, stuck in Kankurō's intense gaze. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to confront him, to even see him even. It wasn't that she was mad; it was simply because it still _hurt_. It was the only way to put it. It hurt even more when she noticed that he'd gained muscle mass… and grown taller… and more perfect… and stared at her with that look of love on his face… she tried to swallow, but she found herself unable. _Look at me. I've received ANBU training from the best shinobi in the entire village; I've killed men who have lists of crimes running longer than my leg… and I'm literally quivering to be staring at my ex-boyfriend. _

Someone bumped into Kankurō, breaking their contact long enough for Hinata to hop down from the barstool with her face aflame, moving to the opposite side of the room. The mass of people stopped him from being able to look at her, which was just what she wanted. Kankurō sighed and rubbed his neck. "God, she is not going to make this easy on me, is she?" he whispered to himself as Kiba excitedly came forward.

"What the hell are you doing here, huh?" he inquired of his friend as soon as he was close. "Did ya hear Hinata-chan was gonna be here or something?" he asked now, waggling his eyebrows. Despite the state of affairs between Hinata and Kankurō; the two of them had managed to stay good friends, often hanging out when he came to Konoha. Of course, Hinata never knew that they did, as she tended to ask for missions out of the village the moment she got wind that the Kazekage was headed for town.

"No, no," said Kankurō, smirking at the dog ninja, "I'm not a stalker or anything like that… I came in for drinks. It was the closest thing to my hotel, so… I didn't really think that she'd be here. She's usually out on assignment, so this was a bit of a shock." Kankurō allowed a small whistle to escape his lips. "She… looks really good. Really… happy."

"She seems to be doing well," said Kiba seriously, frowning, "But like I tell you every damned time you ask me about her… I know she isn't. She's still really sad, though she's gotten really good at hiding it. Sometimes, I almost forget that she's not completely happy." Kiba swallowed as he tried to look for Hinata in the crowd. He rubbed his hair. "She's ANBU now, you know."

Kankurō swallowed dryly. He'd caught a few suggestions from Gaara about her status, but he'd chosen not to believe it. The idea of his Hinata going on those dangerous missions scared him shitless. He was glad for her, but all he wanted to do was shake her and ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, risking her life like that. "I was hoping it was a lie," he admitted, suddenly feeling incredibly dehydrated. "And I need a drink. Do you want anything?"

"No, no," said Kiba quickly, "I've got serious drinking problems. Gotta deal with 'em." Kankurō nodded, not really paying attention to what Kiba was saying. He went to the bar and considered asking for rice wine… until he saw Hinata, chatting with a silver-haired man.

And _laughing_ with him.

_Fuck it, _he thought, asking for an entire bottle of whiskey and one shot glass, slipping into a bar stool. From there, he had the best view of the Hyūga girl. _It's not stalking, _he told himself as he wrapped his hand around the bottle and poured himself a shot. _It's definitely not stalking. I'm just making sure that guy doesn't have any intentions with my Hina-chan, that's all. I mean, if he does I'll just bash in his skull, but I'd prefer not to bloody up the streets of Konohagakure because Hina-chan has suitors when she's meant to be… SHIT, what am I thinking? Did I really just premeditate and justify murder because Hinata is chatting with some guy? _He tilted his head back and slammed down the shot, slightly growling under his breath due to the taste.

_God, does she know what she does to me? _Kankurō thought as the man's hand touched her upper arm for a fragment of a second. Kankurō's eyes flew wide open. _Oh, shit, is he flirting with her? If he is… I'll do a hell of a lot more than just bash in his fucking skull. I will tear him to SHREDS. _

Kiba slipped behind him and into the chair beside him. He caught the murder intent radiating off of the Sand shinobi and shivered. He had an idea of what was going through his head, and he needed to head this off. QUICKLY. "Ah, Kankurō," said Kiba shakily, grabbing his friend's shoulder and turning him to face him, "That's Kakashi-sensei… he does some ANBU missions with Hinata. Besides that, he trained her after you left. Their relationship is purely friendly."

Kankurō's eyes were ablaze. "It doesn't look friendly," he growled, pouring more whiskey.

"That's only because you're her still-enamored ex-boyfriend," Kiba reminded the puppeteer. "But to the rest of the sane world, they're just chatting… and getting up to dance," he finished, his eyes widening as Hinata grabbed Kakashi's larger hand and pulled him away from the bar. Kankurō's head whipped around to see the two, hands clasped together tightly. The immediate area around him was filled with murder intent, pointed towards the Copy Cat ninja. Kiba sighed and asked the bartender for a shot glass. _Eventually I'll go sober… eventually I'll cut out alcohol… but it just seems that is not gonna happen tonight, _he thought, pouring himself some of the whiskey. _It's gonna be a really long night…_

* * *

Hinata really didn't think much of her dancing with Kakashi, and as far as she knew he didn't either. Kakashi had made it clear several times that while he thought she was a pretty girl, he felt any romantic type of relationship would _beyond _inappropriate; which she had agreed with. Their relationship could only go to the edges of close friendship, and that was where it stayed. In her eyes, Kakashi was a close friend to her sensei, Kurenai, who she considered to be a mother—making Kakashi like an uncle in a sense.

Kakashi had noticed her distress when she had slipped into a bar stool, ordering the strongest drink. Being her mentor, he had immediately tried to console her, telling her amusing jokes and embarrassing situations he had gotten himself into during his years of being a shinobi. No flirting had taken place, nor had he tried to get to the bottom of the problems. He simply tried to replace them for a while, seeing as he wasn't exactly the best of erasing problems. And when a song came on that he knew she happened to like, he asked her to dance. And she agreed, pulling him away from the bar to dance.

Simple as that.

She rested her forehead against Kakashi's collar bone, her hands on his shoulders. "Thank you," she murmured softly as Kakashi rocked her from side to side.

"No problem, Nata-chama," he said. He had taken to calling her that whenever they weren't working, finding it easier than saying 'Hinata-chama' all the time. He would've called her Hina-chan, but she had been very against it. She only wanted to hear Kankurō say that pet name to her anymore. He'd ruined the nickname for anyone else but himself. _Kankurō_… the thought of him made her apprehensive again. She tightened her grip on Kakashi and closed her eyes, as if pretending that Kankurō wasn't sharing the same air as her…

"_I FUCKING LOVE ALL OF YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!_"

Hinata's eyes snapped open, not expecting to hear anybody screaming in the bar. Roots and catcalls resounded through the establishment. She turned around, confused. Kakashi seemed a bit confounded himself, rubbing the top of his head. "They're gathered around someone, but I don't know who… I kind of recognized the voice, but I don't think it could be him… I don't remember seeing him in here tonight…"

"Who?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Inuzuka Kiba. The kid has a major drinking problem," said Kakashi, a smile heard even in his voice. "But he swore to stop drinking, so I doubt he's here… why do you have that face?" He looked down at his student, whose eyes were widening in fear and her mouth widened into a small _O _of understanding. "Kiba isn't here, is he?"

Hinata was about to answer him, but the sound of clanking bottles resounded even through the crowd's noise, causing them to turn around. Hinata's face turned bright red as the dog shinobi climbed on top of the bar, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the bartender. His face was flushed bright red, and his eyes were glazed over. He was too drunk for words to describe. He pulled off his mesh shirt at the requests of several women in the bar, throwing it at them. He was a stumbling, uneven, awkward mess, and Hinata could see it.

"_ALL OF YOU… ALL OF YOU ARE MY FUCKING BUDDIES!_" he yelled out, laughing like an idiot. He popped open the bottle and drank some, most of it missing his mouth and dripping down his bared torso. _Kiba, you can't see yourself, but… I am so embarrassed for you right now…_ Hinata thought, mortified. Kiba tipped over, off of the bar and into the hands of waiting kunoichi. "_AND YOU… YOU'RE MY FAVORITE BUDDY._" Hinata could only assume that one of the girls was going far beyond Kiba's normal boundaries.

"I'm sorry; I need to go get him," Hinata whispered to Kakashi, kissing his masked cheek in farewell. She made her way through the crowd, pushing past the mass of people. Kiba had been put down, and he was busy watching an inebriated woman touch him sexually. He had a stupid, boyish grin on his face as he watched her rub herself against him. Hinata only rolled her eyes and pushed herself the rest of the way forward. "Kiba!"

His head snapped up, and his stupid grin widened. "_HINATA! IT'S MY OTHER BUDDY, HINATA! C'MON HINATA, BRING YOURSELF AND YOUR FINE ASS OVER HERE!_" Hinata raised an eyebrow at him. Now she knew what he was saying earlier, about him being a horrible drunk. He was vulgar; and kind of repulsive in her opinion with his lack of inhibition. _God, I am never letting Sakura talk him into coming to an open-bar night ever again! _Hinata thought, coming close to the two drunkards. "_YEAH, HERE SHE COMES! MEET MY OTHER BUDDY, HINATA! YOU SHOULD... YOU SHOULD REALLY JOIN US FOR SOME GOOD DRINKS RIGHT NOW!" _

She lightly tapped on the woman's shoulder. Light, unfocused blue eyes tried to rest on her face. "Listen, he may be really pleasant right now, but come morning he'll be really rude," she whispered into the woman's ear. Grinning, she added, "Plus, his dick is kind of small." _That'll teach you for telling me to 'bring my fine ass' over, _she thought evilly. Drunk or not, Kiba didn't get to just talk to her like that.

The woman nodded and then slapped Kiba hard in the face. Kiba was dazed and confused; uncomprehending of the happenings around him. Hinata sighed and grabbed him by the arms, pulling him off of the stool and towards her. She wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, supporting him with an arm around his waist.

"Excuse me. I need to get him through. Excuse me," she said to the crowd, who had the good graces to part. Without much problem, she led Kiba out into the outside, where he promptly shivered. She looked up at him, confused.

"It's really fucking cold out here," he mumbled, almost tripping over his own tongue. Goosebumps flared up all over his skin, reminding Hinata that he was shirtless. "I need my shirt. I'm gonna go back for my shirt."

"Oh, no, you don't," she said, tightening her grip around her friend. She didn't trust him to not get anymore alcohol. He'd had more than enough already. "No, we're gonna get you home, and we're gonna tuck you in bed and make sure you don't vomit all over the sheets. That's what we're gonna do, Kiba-kun." Kiba groaned and tried to pull away again, but all she did was make her grip tighter. "_Kiba. Listen to me._"

"Hinata? Do you need… help?" She stopped talking at the sound of the voice. Despite the fact that this person, this boy; had gone through the final phases of puberty since the last time she'd seen him, she somehow recognized the voice. She turned around slightly to see Kankurō, nearly-empty bottle of whiskey in his hand. His cheeks held a slight blush to them, indicating that he had consumed alcohol, but not nearly as much as Kiba. At least he was upright by himself.

"No," she said, finally finding her voice. Unfortunately, Kiba found that moment to be the best to faint, causing her to tip over and fall on top of him. She groaned and pushed herself off of his cold, sticky body. She looked down at her friend, this boy she considered to be a brother, and sighed in defeat. "Okay, I may need some help."

"Okay. Hold this," instructed Kankurō, coming up besides her. She eyed it as if it were a dirty sock. "Please?" added Kankurō, giving the bottle a tiny shake as to convince her to take it. She sighed and took it, shaking the amber liquid inside. Kiba groaned, waking up from his minute-nap. "Okay, Kiba, buddy. I'm gonna take you home now."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Of Reunions

**Okay. So, this chapter is the lemon. Let me just come out and say that this is my first time writing a lemon, and I realized how... ****_embarrassing _****it is to write! It's one thing to think about it, I guess, but it's a whole other to actually WRITE IT ALL DOWN. To make it easier on myself, I avoided using... um, TECHNICAL terms...**

**So, yeah. Please keep in mind that I'm still new to this when reading... fingers crossed... To ****McKazekage****: I was trying to make it realistic when writing that chapter... I'm glad it actually worked out! Thanks :) **

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN NARUTO. **

"Damn it, Kiba, you're heavy," muttered Kankurō as he brought Kiba down onto the mattress, trying not to be harsh with him. Kiba mumbled out an incomprehensible response to Kankurō's complaint, which he could only shrug off. Akamaru nudged his master's side, a whine starting in the back of his throat. The dog put his front paws up onto the bed and licked Kiba's face. Kankurō muttered, "Sorry you've gotta see him like this, Akamaru."

"It's not like he hasn't… seen me like this before," Kiba grumbled. He grabbed onto Kankurō's shirt sleeve. "Hey… is there anymore alcohol…?"

Kankurō pried his hand off of him. "No." Kiba stuck out his bottom lip, pouting. All he could do in response is roll his eyes and help his friend into a laying position. Akamaru used his teeth to tug off Kiba's shoes, making him giggle like a moron. _I used to hate kids. Now I hate drunk people_, thought Kankurō at the mess of a friend before him. "Starting tomorrow, you're going absolutely sober."

"I wouldn't… have drunk so much if you weren't so… mad at Kakashi-sensei," grumbled Kiba unhappily as Kankurō carefully laid a blanket on his bared body. Kiba grabbed the edge with his hand and pulled it up to cover his shoulder, glaring at his friend. He tried to poke Kankurō in the chest, but with what Kankurō figured to be double-vision he just couldn't. "If you could just… admit it to Hinata-chan and… be with her again, maybe… getting sober would be a hell of… a lot easier."

Kankurō smirked down at his blunt friend. He patted his cheek softly. "Go to sleep, you alcoholic," he said, "I'll be right next door, alright? Just call if you need someone."

"No… need," he whispered, "Akamaru knows the… drill." Akamaru barked, drawing Kankurō's attention. At the large dog's feet sat a small plastic garbage can that had obviously been scrubbed out frequently. It smelled of bleach. _How much does he drink? _Kankurō thought, rubbing his head and holding back a smile.

"Still," said Kankurō, "Just call, alright?"

"Ah… sure," he responded, grabbing his pillow. He let one eye shut, but was still fighting with the other. "Hey… Kankurō…? I'm sorry you… had to see that. Sorry I embarrassed you like… that. And Hinata… God, Hinata… she'll probably kill me… once I get over the hangover." Kankurō had to laugh at that: he had vomited all over her on the way over from the bar. She was probably still in the shower, getting all of the puke out of her hair… Kankurō's laughter stopped. The thought of her naked… "Go get her."

Kankurō blinked. "What?"

"I said… go get her," said Kiba, giving up on the fight with his eyelid. "Go get her back, Kankurō… I can't say it enough…"

Kankurō began to shake his head. "What if she…"

"Don't think… about it. Stop… thinking about it. She's it for you, my friend… she's the love of your fucking… life. So go get her back… you moron," grumbled Kiba, somehow able to finally poke him in the chest with his eyes closed. "This is your… chance… idiot…" Kiba's voice trailed off as he drifted off to sleep. His look of frustration slipped off his face as he began to sleep. The only thing that indicated that he'd had a troubling night was the blush on his cheeks.

Kankurō sighed, staring at his friend. "Akamaru, you agree with me that it's hard, right?" he asked the dog, turning around to rub the dog's giant head. Akamaru's eyes narrowed at him, something that did not escape his notice. "You agree with Kiba?" The dog showed his approval for Kiba's idea by clamping his teeth onto Kankurō's hand. He winced in pain, feeling his canines pierce his skin. _Dammit, Akamaru, _he thought as the dog released him, _can't you be on my side sometimes? _

Kankurō got up, smiling sadly down at the dog as he left the room. He nodded at Kiba's older sister, Hana. "Thanks for allowing Hinata and I to stay overnight to follow up with his condition."

"It's alright. From what I could tell from Kiba's nonsensical mutterings, it's partially your fault he's so wasted," said Hana, making Kankurō blush and look away. "It's alright; it's not your fault that the boy has absolutely no self control when it comes to liquor." She smiled at him. "Besides, I couldn't just leave Hinata to stand there covered in his multi-colored vomit. That'd just be cruel. I'm just sorry you have to stay in one room with Hinata. We're a kind of large family and we don't have a lot of guests." She seemed sheepish.

"No, it's alright," said Kankurō, shaking his head. "Thank you, Hana-sama." He nodded once again and started away from her.

"He's right, you know." Kankurō looked back at her. She smiled softly. "Kiba. He's right about you, and Hinata. Any old idiot can tell how badly you have it for her… only people in love look at each other the way you two do." She came close to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "So go for her." She turned away, saying with a laugh in her voice, "Our rooms are soundproofed, so don't worry about too much noise!"

Kankurō blushed, but his groin tightened again at the thought of making Hinata scream his name. Of what he was doing to make it possible… to feel her tremble as she came… _oh, fuck, it's so glorious. _Kankurō slipped inside the room, trying to ignore the aching his groin was causing him. Instantly, he was greeted with the smell of flowers, something delicate but so noticeable. He pushed the door to the small bathroom open to see her, or at least her silhouette, in the middle of washing herself. He followed the profile of her figure: her breasts, her tight, small stomach, her hips, her ass, those legs… he gulped and gripped his pants tightly. _Fuck, fuck, fuck!_ **(A/N: from here, it basically falls into the lemon. If you're not comfortable with lemons or are underaged, you should skip down to the bottom of the chapter and click "Next" immediately.)**

Kankurō stumbled back, closing the door once again. He sat down on the bed and tried to ignore his stiff member. He put his elbows onto his knees, putting his head on his palms. _Shit, she's finally here, and I'm apprehensive… _He had often pictured her, thought about her. Different scenarios. Different settings. He thought about the many dreams he had about her, the many cold showers he had _because _of her. And now that she was here, he was hesitant to take advantage of it. _They could be lying, or they could be wrong, _he thought, _nothing she's done indicated that she still has feelings for—_

"_Kankurō_."

His head snapped up when he heard her utter his name in that sweet, sexy voice of hers. But she wasn't in the room… she was still in the shower? Why would she be calling him from there…? "_Oh, Kankurō_." Realization dawned on Kankurō's features. _Well, this indicates that she has feelings for me,_ he thought, his hands shaking. She was thinking about him for sure right now. He licked his lips as his body worked by itself, tugging his shirt over his head.

_What're you doing?!_ Kankurō's brain screamed at him as he kicked off his sandals. _That doesn't mean she wants you right now!_

She moaned out again, making Kankurō swallow and his brain reconsider. _I think it does, _his libido responded. _I really think it does. And she wants you bad, Kankurō, she really does. Don't you hear her, screaming your name like that? _His libido made a valid point, and his body was in definite agreement as it moved closer to the bathroom. His brain made a last-minute judgment call: it made him stub his toe against the dresser.

_Hard_.

"SHIT!" he screamed out, snapping out of his daze. He heard an 'eep' sound resonate from the bathroom, and the water stopped running. He groaned, bending over in front of the bathroom door as Hinata ran out, towel wrapped haphazardly around herself and senbon in her hand. Kankurō had to grin at the sight of his most favored weapon in her small hand from the corner of his eye. She let out a shaky, relieved sigh and let her hand fall to her side.

"What the hell was that?" she asked.

"I stubbed my toe," he muttered.

"Where's your shirt?"

"I took it off. I was looking for a new one. I thought I saw some puke on the sleeve." _For the love of all that's holy, Hinata, do NOT go and check to see if I really have puke on the sleeve, because that thing fell on the floor and I cannot handle it if you were to bend down in front of me right now! _The thought of her bending over in that towel was enough to make him harder… he didn't need to see it in real life and make it any worse on himself. Kankurō felt the throbbing in his toe eventually go away, and he stood up and walked over to the bed, picking up his shirt.

"You didn't… hear anything, right?" she asked, blushing deeply.

"What… no," he said, trying to make it sound like the craziest idea ever. _I, for one, heard everything,_ said his libido. He forced a smile at her and covered his groin with the fallen shirt. "Nothing at all… why, did you hear something?"

"Besides you testing out your new feet? No," said Hinata, looking away from him and turning, going through the drawers. Kankurō's eyes widened as he noticed she was definitely beginning to… bend over… she was going to a lower drawer to find something to wear over her still-clean bra and panties. He thought frantically, _Oh, shit, no, do something now! _

"Hey! Um, take this!" he said, throwing his shirt at her. She barely turned in time to catch it. She raised an eyebrow in question, and he forced a smile at her.

"I thought you saw puke on the sleeve," she reminded him.

He forced a smile. "Uh, yeah. But it was nothing. Just a figment of my imagination," he said in a shaky voice. Hinata's eyebrow was still raised, but she hesitantly accepted the information, slipping back into the bathroom with his shirt in hand. Kankurō groaned and laid down on his back, putting his face in his hands. _These damn Inuzuka's are making me go fucking crazy! I don't even have her back yet, and they're all telling me to sleep with her tonight! She'd hit me or something!_

_Though, she did take the shirt, _his libido said wisely.

_Shut up! You've gotten us in enough trouble tonight_, his brain snapped. Kankurō sighed. _Now I have inner arguments between myself and my dick. That's just bloody fantastic…_

"Kankurō, your shirt's a little big," said Hinata, interrupting his thoughts. He sat up to see her in it. Her left shoulder slipped out of the collar, making the left sleeve longer than the right. She had to push back the ends far to make even the tips of her hands visible. The shirt's bottom ended on her mid-thigh. _She is not making this any easier… especially when she lets her hair out… I think I like her long hair a lot more than the other style_…

"It's fine," said Kankurō, thinking that he just earned a spot in a very special type of hell.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile, shutting off the bathroom light and making her way over to the bed. She sat down beside him, unsure of what to say to the half-naked man next to her. She was actually having a hard time even thinking, all she could see was those biceps she was almost positive he hadn't had before… or any other muscle on his sexy upper body. Before, he'd been a lean kind of guy, which she hadn't minded. But now? He'd filled out.

And those scars?

They made him look even sexier.

_My imagination did him no justice, _she thought as she tried to discretely take in his new image. "How did you get these scars?" she asked, trying to make it feel less awkward.

"Oh, um," he said in a mumble, rubbing the back of his neck. That motion had been adorable when they were younger. But now she wasn't twelve; she was sixteen. And now it was so. Fucking. Hot. Hinata just wanted to tackle him and straddle him… "My father did it to me."

"Your… father?" she asked, confused. She had known that he had issues with fathers, but she hadn't known how deep those issues had truly run. She had thought that he was just being… a fourteen year old boy. Well, he did tell her once that his father had made sure to beat the childhood out of him. And he definitely wasn't kidding. Her hand traveled across his chiseled abdomen to his hip. "Your father gave you this?"

"Ah, yeah. I was six," he said, looking down at the large burn scar. "I played with a bunch of kids while traveling with my father. He didn't like that. He sent Gaara and Temari away with the bodyguards, giving them instructions to never turn back even if they heard me screaming. Then he got these two others to hold me over the fire that we had at the camp. Every time I screamed, he made them lower me down… until I blacked out."

"You got this… for playing with people?" She was disgusted. Her hand traveled up to what looked like a kunai wound on his ribs. "What about… this?"

"I was eleven. Got my first kiss from this girl whose father mine considered to be an enemy. That was the first time my father came at me with real intent to kill. Damn near successful, too." He hesitantly turned to let her see his broad back. She saw so many other scars there as well. "These are from when I was really young. From when I was three up until I was seven. He had a whip, but Ojisan took it and when he blew up, he destroyed it. I think he was trying to stop my father from harming me ever again, because he wouldn't allow any medics to touch it. Since Ojisan was a nurse, I see how it bothered him so." Kankurō touched the edge of one of the gashes on his back. "There are so many, I can't even remember what they're from sometimes. And I'm glad I don't." He rolled his shoulders. Hinata reached out and touched the ugly scar.

"It feels like… it's a ridge," she said, noticing it made his skin bumpy. "They're like long ditches."

"Yeah, I know." He shivered at her touch. "My father's probably still laughing about it in his grave right now. This entertained him to no end." Hinata's low growl shocked him. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at the tiny girl. "Um… Hinata?"

"No one should touch you like that," she muttered angrily, "You don't deserve it, especially at such a young age. And for your father to do it to you… I hope he rots in hell."

"I remember saying that to you once, about your father."

"And then you punched him in the face and made him better." She pushed on his shoulder, forcing him to turn around and face her. She was now blushing, but set in what she was about to do. Kankurō raised an eyebrow at her as she pushed him down onto his back. "You made a lot of things better in my life," she whispered, straddling his lap.

"I also fucked up your trust," he grumbled, looking away from her.

"You gave me confidence," she said softly. If it hadn't been for him, she would have never approached Kakashi for training. "You gave me aspirations." Her need to prove her equality had become her goal. "You gave me power." She was a powerful puppet user now, instead using actual human bodies instead of wooden puppets. And there were her skills in her affinity, which he inadvertently helped with. "You gave me family." That punch he'd given Hiashi had made him realize so many things wrong with the clan. "You gave me so much love. More love than I deserve, all from one person."

Kankurō's eyes widened. "Hinata, you deserve so much more than what I give you. I'm trying to be the man you deserve, the one that's good for you, but I just can't do it. I'm sorry."

She giggled, blushing. "You are the one person with less self-confidence than I have," she said, rubbing her thumb over his nipple. He groaned at the contact. She watched as the bud hardened; a small smile on her face. She bent over him and kissed the hard tip. He groaned again. "Kankurō, I miss you, I love you, and I'm asking you… no, begging; I'm begging you to be mine again and make love to me tonight," she murmured, sitting back up. Boldly, she lifted the shirt over her head. He gasped out at the sight of her in a black strapless bra and a simple thong. Simple, but gorgeous on her; the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. She could wear a burlap sack and he'd think she looked sexy and perfect. Because she was perfect.

_Too fucking perfect to be mine_, he thought. His gloved hands moved up to touch her thighs and run up her perfect body, to touch her hips, her waist, her breasts, her shoulders, her neck, and finally frame her face. Her pale lavender eyes looked down at him, and she didn't breathe. Waiting, he realized, for his answer. "Do you mean it, Hina?" he murmured. "I mean… me, who basically made you have to live knowing that some nut job wants to take you?"

"I don't blame you for that," she whispered, grabbing his gloved right hand with hers and kissing his fingertips. Before he could think of the words to stop her, she pulled off the glove and saw the burn. She bit her lip and stared. To his surprise, she brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it. "Don't ever believe that, Kankurō. Trust me. You are not a weak man." She smiled at him. "You still haven't answered me."

"Hinata…" he murmured, shaking his head, "How can you take off your top and show some guy all of _that_ and still think he'd have the restraint left to say no?" She smiled as he sat up and brought his hands to her lower back, pressing her against him. "So you are my girlfriend again?" he asked, his lips millimeters away from hers.

"Yes," she managed to say before he smashed against her lips, kissing her passionately. He could feel her trembling under his fingertips. She ran hotter now, her heat almost burning his fingers. When she opened her mouth to moan his name, he forced his tongue into her mouth, and their tongues met in that dance they both knew so well.

Kissing, they knew. Love-making was different. Love-making was new, unknown territory.

Hinata took the initiative, her hand traveling down his chest and abs to his pants. She unbuttoned them and released him from their growing tightness, sitting up a bit to push them down his legs, leaving them around his ankles. He was about to finish kicking them off when she rubbed his tip, forcing him to submit. _Fuck it, I'll do it later. We have all night, _he thought as she wrapped her hands around him and rubbed his length.

He groaned into her open mouth, which wasn't there much longer—she began to travel down, kissing each scar she passed on her way down. The sensitive skin surrounding each one hummed with the most pleasure. He raised his head to watch her in her administrations over his body. "How do you even know what to do?"

She raised her head slightly. "Your sister is dating Shikamaru. Shikamaru is my friend. She became my friend by default. And she lends me her romance novels." Never before had he been so thankful with his sister's obsession for written porn. He had thought it gross, but it was working out very well in his favor. She returned to what she was doing, making sure her bra rubbed against his shaft before she kneeled down now, and she finished pushing down the pants the rest of the way, leaving him completely and shamelessly naked.

Kankurō was about to ask what she was doing, but then she licked his tip. _Oh, shit, that's what she's doing, _he thought, dropping back onto his back. He felt her take him deeper into his mouth. _And she's doing good at it, that's fucking sure…_ "God, Hina-chan. That feels good." She let her teeth scrape lightly against his skin. He closed his eyes and let the pleasure overcome his body. _This is not my Hinata. She was never this confident… but I like what she's doing to me… I like this new one… _

Kankurō felt himself almost poised for explosion, his peak quickly coming to him. _God, yes. Keep going, Hina… wait, what the hell? _Kankurō thought as cold air wrapped around his manhood. _Did she… stop? _He felt her small hands on his thighs, pressing against them and using them to stand up. He cracked open an eye to see her grinning mischievously down at him. "Tease," he groaned as he wrapped an arm around her and brought her down on the bed, turning over so she lay underneath him.

"Wasn't as so much of teasing as _preparing_," she replied, blushing at the prospect of what Kankurō might be thinking. He smiled his own mischievous smile now, and her breath stopped. _He can't be thinking that. He really can't be thinking what I think he's going to do. _"W-What a-are you going to d-do to m-me, K-Kurō?" _Dammit, he reduced me to stutters again… damn him…_

His smile widened as his hand slowly roved up her soft skin, taking every new curve into memory. His hand found her breast, and he squeezed it through the bra. She gasped, and he kissed her. "I'm going to 'prepare' you… like you did to me," he murmured as he kissed and suckled his way down to her breast. She moaned as he took her flesh between his lips. "I want people, when they look at you, to know that you're mine," he murmured as he softly kissed the spot, moving down.

"I-I didn't d-do that to you," she whispered as his hand wrapped around and undid the strap holding her bra on her. Her hands wrapped around his broad back, feeling every part of him she could as he began to suckle her breasts. When he lightly bit her hardened pink nipple, she pressed her fingernails into the flesh of his marred back, drawing blood. "Oops."

"It doesn't matter to me," he whispered hotly, turning his attentions to her other breast. "Someone will see that and know I'm yours now. Though, they didn't need that to know that I've always been yours." His hands traveled downwards to her lacy thong, tugging it down. Her hand traveled down to grab his manhood, making him groan and stop her.

"What are you…?"

"I'm not done yet, love," he whispered, kissing her throat lightly. "I have one more place I haven't… _tasted_ yet, and it's something I was quite looking forward to." His hand left hers to cup her womanhood, touching her folds with his middle finger. She gasped and closed her eyes, shivering in fear, apprehension, and the utmost pleasure; making her face warm up. His finger, which had only been stroking, began to slowly push inside of her. "Trust me, this is important," he murmured, moving down her body, watching her face. "Do you trust me, Hina-chan?"

"Umm, _yes,_" she whispered; her back arching. He smiled as he slipped off of the bed, directing his gaze to her womanhood. He blew against it, making her murmur his name in reverence. He moved his finger slowly within her as he brought his tongue to a sensitive spot. Her hands flew out to grab her hands, but he stopped her; grabbing her by the wrists and holding her still.

"Don't touch. I want this to be the only sensation you feel," he said, removing his finger and replacing it with his tongue. _Damn, she tastes pretty good. She tastes good, and it's nice and hot… _

"AAH!" she gasped sharply, her eyes squeezing tight as she thrust her hips towards him, inviting him to travel within her. His free hand grabbed her leg, pulling it over his shoulder as he pushed his tongue as far as it would go within her. "_K-Kankurō_. _More. Please, oh God, do more_."

He smirked and licked off more wetness, removing himself from her folds. She gasped out in a mixture of disappointment and pleasure, pushing up onto her elbows to watch Kankurō kiss his way back up to her mouth. "Like I said… I wanted to _prepare_ you, Hina-chan," he said with a grin as she stuck out that pink bottom lip at him. He kissed it before sucking on it, making her moan again and begin to lay back. He grabbed her hips and flipped them over, bringing her onto his lap. She looked down at him, confused. "I worship you, Hina… it only makes sense I'm below you. I'm your servant." He kissed her hotly again as he brought them back, so that he leaned against the headboard.

She kissed him back and pressed her left hand against the wooden headboard. Her brow furrowed with concentration as her right hand traveled down to Kankurō's hardness, wrapping her hand around him. Slowly, carefully; she lowered herself onto him. Kankurō wrapped his hand around her body, pressing her against him and whispering words of encouragement into her ear. She bit her lip as she felt him at her barrier, already feeling pain. "You can stop if you want to," he whispered, also feeling the barrier.

"No," she murmured, flustered. "I'm just trying to figure out how to do this quickly…"

"It won't be any less painful," he responded, kissing the edge of his lips. He let his hands travel down to her ass, making his way down to her wet folds. His fingers gently pried her apart, making her slip further down on him. She let go of his manhood and grabbed onto his neck, pressing her fingernails into his skin. She gasped out in pain as the barrier finally broke, and he finally filled her. A tear dripped down her face, and he captured it onto his lips. "I'm sorry, Hina-chan. I know it hurts. I'm sorry."

"Please, give a moment," she whispered, trying to get used to the feeling of being so full, so full without relief. Slowly, the pain slipped away, but she knew that to get it completely gone she would have to make it go away. So she began to move, rolling her hips. Kankurō groaned and gripped her hips tightly, almost painfully. He watched her move with half-lidded eyes. Her lips parted and her eyes closed, feeling the pain slip away and the pleasure overtake her. She reveled in it, reveled in the feeling of Kankurō within her, reveled in the feeling of losing her innocence to this boy; this man who loved her so much.

"Hina," he murmured reverently. It was like he was praying to her. She moaned as she increased the speed of her movements. His right hand left her hip and went to cup her face, taking her lips again. She moaned his name against his lips, her hands running up and down his scarred body. She ripped her lips away and moaned out, unable to even think of how to move her lips in a kissing motion. He smirked and dotted her neck with more hickeys. "Do you enjoy this…?"

"_Yes,_" she gasped, adding an extra motion to her movements to make his breath stop. "_Oh, God yes. K-Kurō… Kankurō…!_" He smirked and flipped them over, her head landing near the end of the bed. He had slipped out of her to do so, making her moan in disappointment before he thrust himself into her. "What… happened to you… being below… me…? Was I not… good?"

"You were like… a goddess," he panted, pulling himself almost out to thrust back in. "But… I want to… make you come… and I need to feel you… under me… at least once… I can't help it… I'm male…" Her legs tangled around his waist, holding him against her. His lips began to bruise hers, but neither of them cared about pain. He kept moving, kept thrusting; speeding up as her breath caught and slowing down as she regained herself, driving both her and him mad with wanting, with need. He hugged her against him, pressing her breasts against his chest.

"I… I… _K-Kankurō_!" she screamed, finding her release. Her muscles tightened, and Kankurō only found himself able to thrust only a couple or more times before finding himself at his own peak. He tightened his grip around her and stilled her, releasing inside her. Both panted, riding out their pleasures. Sticky and sweaty, the two teenagers lay there; waiting patiently for their highs to drop.

"A-Are you alright?" asked Kankurō when he found his voice, realizing he was pressing her into the mattress. She nodded, and he picked himself off of her, apologizing for dropping like that. She merely smiled and kissed his lips softly.

"Stop it. It was amazing," she whispered, slipping off of the bed. She winced in pain. _I didn't realize how much it'd hurt to walk_, she thought, sitting on the edge of the bed. Instantly, Kankurō wrapped his arms around her waist and dotted her shoulder with kisses.

"What's wrong? What did I do?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just… it still hurts," she admitted, turning her head to look at his confused face. "Um… my… it… it hurts to walk right now, because of…" She blushed and looked away, unable to find the words to tell him what was wrong with her. "My… body… hurts from the… from the…"

"The sex?" he blurted, realization dawning on his face. Her face heated up more and she nodded, turning away. "I thought… I didn't know it'd be… shit, I'm sorry. If I'd known that, I would've held back so much. Tell me, what do you need? I'll get it for you." He scooped her up, leaning her against the headboard. He moved her hair behind her ear, and she smiled tiredly up at him. "What were you going for?"

"Towel," she murmured. His brow furrowed, and then he looked down at her thighs, realization dawning on his features. "I need warm water on a hand towel." He nodded, understanding her realization. He kissed her lips softly and went off to the bathroom, doing exactly as she asked him to. She reached out for the small towel when he came back, but her grabbed her wrist.

"No, I'll do it," he insisted. Having no energy, she simply nodded. He separated her thighs and softly began to wipe her down, cleaning up the mess he'd caused. "Is that… better?"

"Yes, thank you," she whispered as he nodded, throwing the towel down and yanking off the top blanket from underneath her. She was confused as he ripped it off of the bed, tossing it onto the floor and crawling onto the bed himself. "Why…?"

He blushed. "We… the mess wasn't only on your thighs." Her face became inflamed. She ducked her head, groaning in embarrassment. _They're going to know. They're going to see it and they're going to know what we did! _She could already hear the mortifying innuendos Kiba would make at her expense. Despite her ANBU training, she still wasn't the best at taking embarrassing jokes; especially about such private and important moments. Kankurō chuckled at the sight of her like this and kissed her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. We'll deal with it together. Now pick your head up, Hina-chan, and smile at me."

"I'm so embarrassed. He'll _know_!"

Kankurō's smirk widened. "It doesn't matter. People will find out eventually, I guess. Besides, they just left two teenagers in a room together. I bet they figured this would happen," he said. She picked her head up, her eyes narrowing at him. She whacked him with the pillow, making him laugh. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him, yanking the pillow away from her and throwing it to the foot of the bed. She giggled against his chest and gave into him. He kissed the top of her head, laying down now as they calmed down. "Please tell me that you'll never be embarrassed about this. It's natural."

"I know," she whispered, resting her cheek against his chest, a scar tickling her chin. Her hand rested on his abdomen. She kissed his chest once again and blinked, feeling tired. "I love you," she murmured as she drifted off to sleep in the warm, safe embrace of her lover's arms. He rubbed her shoulder and kissed the top of her head again.

"I love you too," he replied sleepily, joining her in sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Of Respect

**Hi! I'm back!**

**Sorry for the wait. I just got back to school. :( So I can't update as quickly as I might wish to anymore. I'll try to keep it constant, but I need to focus on my studies. **

**I made a new character! I needed him for the plot, so I made him up. I hope you guys don't mind too much. I didn't use a lot of imagination with the name, though I now wish I did... sorry about that... And I personally don't feel like this chapter is like the rest, so I further apologize for that... **

**To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: lol, thanks! That just made me a hell of a lot more confident in my abilities, thank you! I tried to make him "hint" again, but since I wasn't sure I'd done it successfully the first time around I'm not sure I did so well this time... if that made any sense at all...**

**Can someone review this? Please? I have the feeling that I need to make this better, but I don't know what to do...**

**BTW: I might've given some of you the impression that Kiba and Sakura are together in chapter 13. Umm... they're not. I didn't pair them up. I don't like Sakura enough, sorry. They're just close friends. **

Shino stared at the puppet masters before him, mouth agape. Kiba smirked devilishly at his friend, holding a mug of coffee in his hand. Despite his massive, aching hangover; Kiba found this incredibly amusing, borderline hysterical. Kiba had brought Kankurō and Hinata with him to go to Shino and, by Kiba's terms, 'bug the bugger'.

Hinata looked down at her hands. "Shino, stop staring," she whispered, embarrassed by his look of absolute shock on Shino's face. Before she'd been able to stop him, Kiba had spilled to Shino that not only was she back with Kankurō now, but that she was also now sexually active; something that she considered to be incredibly personal and not a conversation piece.

Shino didn't stop staring.

Kankurō sighed and raised his own cup of coffee to his lips, seemingly unaffected by his friend's reactions. "Shino, stop it. You're bugging her. No pun intended," he said, taking a sip of the hot liquid. In the back of his head, he wondered if maybe he was being too detached about the situation. Inside, he was freaking out and wanted to throttle Kiba for telling him. But he knew that at some point; Hinata's closest friends would know, whether or not she told them. He just wished it would be more on his terms.

Shino closed his mouth, but he didn't stop staring at the newly reunited couple. Hinata squirmed under his stare, leading Kankurō to wrap his arms around her midsection and pull her into him in the bench. She squealed and blushed, making him snicker and kiss her temple; returning his attentions to the breakfast food that Shino's family put together for them.

"I didn't really think you'd be this surprised," said Kiba, snickering. "After all, you and I both know how many times Kankurō… took cold showers," he finished as Kankurō kicked him hard under the table. He blushed. _Okay that I could've lived without Hinata knowing about that! _He glared at Kiba, who merely snickered in amusement at Kankurō's embarrassment. Kiba noticed that, if possible, Hinata's blush had increased to a bright tomato red, and her pale eyes were like saucers.

Shino finally brought himself to take a bite of food. "I'm glad you two are together once again," he said, giving a small smile to his two friends. He was glad; Hinata had been torn up after what had happened. It had killed him on the inside to see Hinata bottle it all up inside of herself and ignore it. She fooled many people with that act, like Sakura or Ino; but she hadn't been able to fool those closest to her. She was now happier her (though more incredibly embarrassed) than she had been in over three years.

"Thank you," said Kankurō, still scandalized. He glared over at Kiba again. "At least _one_ friend says so." Kiba cackled, and Shino rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses.

Hinata stared at Kiba, her eyes flickering with mischief. Suddenly, she clapped her hands together; causing Kankurō and Shino to flinch and for Kiba to yelp out in pain. "Thank you, Shino," she said in an unusually high voice, high enough for Kiba to hold his hands over his ears. She only began to raise the volume of her words. "As a friend, it means a lot to me for you to say that!" She clapped her hands together again. "So _nice, _right, Kiba?"

Kiba was immediately sullen; his hangover-induced headache returning full force. "Sure," he muttered, turning his attention back to the shreds of bacon on his plate. "Yeah, it's nice."

"So nice!" her voice squeaked.

"Stop it, you win!" he snapped at her, eyes narrowed. "If this is revenge for what I did to you last night, then you've done it."

Her eyes flashed with what looked like fury. "No, I haven't done revenge for last night yet, Kiba," she said, taking a sip of her coffee and staring down Kiba. "You'll know when that happens." She gave him a smile, and Kankurō began to snicker. Kiba glared at him in return, their roles now reversed. Shino stared at his friends, his mind working to figure out the meaning behind their words.

"I am going to make my guess," announced Shino, "Kiba got drunk at the open-bar night, and Hinata helped him home. On the way to his complex, Kiba threw up on her." Kankurō's snickers turned into loud guffaws, finding this too funny to even speak. Kiba grumbled something about needing more coffee, getting up from the table. Hinata smiled and wrapped her arm around Kankurō, putting her head onto his shoulder.

"Damn, Shino; you really are a genius," Kankurō was finally able to say after his shrieking laughter, tightening his grip on Hinata and taking another sip of the well-brewed coffee. Shino smiled: his version of an amused laugh. Kiba came back with a fresh cup of coffee, still pissed.

"We are training today!" he announced, causing himself to wince at the volume of his own voice. "At twelve o'clock, I'm going to get all of the old teams for a practice mission. Kankurō's invited." He crossed his arms, staring pointedly at Hinata. "There, you'll get your chance for revenge, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata smiled reservedly. "I look forward to it, Kiba-kun," she said. Kankurō was the only one to sense the evil overtone to her words, and he couldn't suppress a grin of amusement at the prospect of the evil things going through his girlfriend's mind.

_My kitten has claws, _he thought, kissing her temple.

* * *

"Neji!" said Hinata, taking her opportunity to catch her older cousin unawares by jumping onto his bed, effectively waking him up and making him jump up in shock. His Byakugan was instantly activated and his head whipped around, trying to find an assailant of any type. Upon realizing it was simply Hinata, he growled and deactivated his kekkei genkai, glaring at her. She giggled, hands over her mouth.

"What?" he asked, rubbing his forehead. "What time is it?"

"It's ten o'clock in the morning," she responded, wrapping her hands around herself, smiling widely at her cousin's apparent grumpiness. Despite their rigorous, stoic attitudes; the Hyūga clansmen were not known to be morning-people. He grimaced and kicked off his blankets, not caring if his cousin saw his bared torso and plain white boxers. Nudity, or half-nudity as the case may be; had never been a troubling topic amongst the pair of them. They had known each other for a long time; lived in the same house. It was impossible for them to be right next door to each other for the past three years and never catch a glimpse of the other naked. Besides, they were not attracted to each in that way.

"Why did you wake me up?" he asked, going into his dresser and looking for his clothes. "Is it ANBU?"

"No, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "No, Kiba wants us all to train today. I am simply inviting you."

"So you were with Kiba last night?" he asked quietly, fixing her with a stare. A stare that told her that she'd better not lie about what she was doing. She had realized that morning that not only had she spent the entire night at Kiba's, but that her family had no idea that she'd done so. Of course, this would raise questions—as the heiress, she was precious to the family. It only made sense. She just wished that she didn't have to lie so much about it. Yes, she was with Kiba, technically; but she hadn't been _with_ Kiba. She was just glad that she'd chosen to take one of his sister's old sweatshirts and pants that morning to wear.

"Yes. He was incredibly drunk. He threw up on everything I was wearing, and so I had to shower. By the time I did that, I was too tired to come home," she said, forcing herself to keep the same facial expression. _He can't know what I'm thinking!_

Neji stared at her for a second more and sighed. "Hinata, I am the last person who will judge you if you were with Sabaku no Kankurō last night," he said, his voice displaying some amount of hurt. Her eyes widened by micro meters. "I saw Kankurō leave the bar, Hinata, not shortly after you left with Kiba. It's only logical that Kankurō came to help you with Kiba, and with your history with him… I'd be surprised if nothing at all happened."

Hinata looked down at her knees, knowing that Neji knew. "I am sorry. It's just that…"

"You're in love with him, and I understand," he replied quietly, looking away. "You're entitled to be in love, Hinata. You deserve it, especially after how we treated you for so long here."

"You didn't treat me badly…"

"A lot of us treated you like shit because we all thought that you were too emotional," growled Neji, digging his fingernails into his bare knee. "I remember wondering what was so special about you to deserve inheriting a whole clan. I remember thinking that I worked so much harder than you. That… that was all bullshit, and I know it now. I can't apologize enough for what I put you through. All I can do is help you move forward and always support you through it. Even if I want to break your boyfriend's skull."

Hinata blinked. "What…?"

"I don't like him very much. I think he's an idiot for what he did; begging a man like Kabuto to keep you safe. While I appreciate the sentiment, there were other things he could've done. Besides, you could've handled yourself just fine; I know this now." He smiled back at her. "But I know you love him, so I shall tolerate him."

Hinata squealed with delight, crawling to her cousin and wrapping her strong arms around his neck. He gave a laugh, allowing her to hold onto him. "Hey, hey, if you injure me now, how am I gonna train with you and our friends?" he asked her, making her giggle. She loosened her grip, but she didn't let go.

Neji didn't want her to. He loved her embraces now; it reminded him of the hugs that his own mother used to give him before she took her own life after his father's death. They made him feel important, loved; needed by someone. Though he knew that if need be Hinata could handle herself, he would protect her at all costs. Not because he didn't respect her strength; but because he cared so deeply for his cousin, this girl that was like his sister. She'd been one of the ones to bring him out of his misery and help bring him back together, help him see that life wasn't nearly as horrid as he'd thought. Anybody who could do that; he felt needed to be kept safe to give them the best chance at having a life.

Without thinking, Neji put a hand on her warm arm, pressing a kiss into her skin. _Thank you, Kankurō, _he thought, _for making this girl flower into the person she is; the beautiful, strong heiress of the Hyūga… Hyūga Hinata…_

* * *

Over the course of the next hour and a half, Kiba had managed to gather Ino and Shikamaru of the old Team 10, as well as all of Team Kakashi and Tenten of Team Gai. Hinata, of course, had gotten Neji and had even invited Hanabi to come along. Chōji had left on a mission to the Land of Tea earlier that week, and Gai and Rock Lee had run off to the mountains, muttering something about youth as they went. He had offered Kurenai an opportunity to join them, but she smacked him upside the head to remind him that she had a newborn baby.

Kiba laid on his back in the middle of the training field, tuckered out by all the running around he'd done. Akamaru sat over his master, his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail wagging happily. Kiba didn't know why Akamaru was so happy this morning; the damned dog wouldn't say. But every time Kiba sat up, Akamaru seemed to get more excited. And every time he would close his eyes, Akamaru would lick his face; from his forehead down to his chin, leaving him in a slobbered mess.

Shino stared up at the sun, sitting on a rock not too far off from his friends. Shino was the only one completely aware of his surroundings at the moment; not letting his guard down. Shino could've become an ANBU operative should he have chosen so, but the Aburame clan were very distinctive with their kikaichū during any sort of offensive battle situations. A bug came back to Shino, landing on his outstretched fingertip and relaying information to him.

"Kankurō is almost here. He's twenty meters out. Naruto, Sasuke, and Tenten aren't very far behind him," he said aloud, making sure to make Kiba hear him.

Kiba groaned and sat up, once again exciting Akamaru. "Tell me again why I had to invite Sasuke," he whined, beginning to stretch. "He's arrogant, he's an ass, and beyond that he's a traitor…" Shino knew full well that there was no love lost between the dog ninja and the former missing ninja. Kiba felt that the way of shinobi meant that comrades had to be loyal to each other at all times, caring about their safeties. Sasuke had always been rogue, and that had always bothered Kiba.

"Because Naruto and Hinata both would kill you if you didn't," said Shino, returning his attentions to the sky above him. "And it would be unfair to offer Naruto and not him, Kiba. Everyone deserves a second chance, and it's impolite not to at least pretend to offer one. Sasuke has repented for what he's done, and most of the village seems to have moved on."

Kiba sighed. "He tried to kill us all."

"So did the Hidden Sand. You do not hate Kankurō," replied Shino. He closed his eyes, letting his sense of hearing take hold. "Nor do you hate Gaara. Live and let live, Kiba."

Kiba groaned and sat down on the slab of rock next to Shino. "He's just gonna be arrogant, and then I'm gonna get mad," he complained, rubbing Akamaru's fur. When Sasuke had returned to Konohagakure two years ago with full intentions of destroying the village, Kiba had been on the front lines against him. He'd almost been killed by that bastard, Suigetsu, too. But then Naruto and Hinata had saved him, getting him to Sakura just in time for her to save his life. And when he awoke from the forced unconsciousness Sakura had given him, he found out that not only the attack had been stopped, but that he actually had the nerve to be allowed again as a citizen of Konohagakure.

And Tsunade had agreed, too.

But the thing that pissed him off the most was that Hinata was assigned with Kakashi and Naruto to help Sasuke transition back into the village. All he'd been worried about was if Sasuke would hurt her, his gentle friend. And he did try, but Hinata had taken care of it herself. To this day, he didn't know what she'd done; but Sasuke had stopped being so psychotic, that was for damned sure.

Kankurō strolled into the practice field, hands stuck in his pockets and whistling casually. Kiba noted that his style of dress _still _hadn't changed: cat hood, black clothes, and purple Kabuki paint. Kiba thought that it made him look like a right-out idiot, but he had no room to talk; he had fang tattoos on his cheeks. Kankurō waved to his two friends, smiling at them. "Not too early, right?"

Kiba was about to answer, but an all-too-familiar loud voice yelled: "Kiba-asshole! We're here!" Kiba glared at the blonde-haired moron, who was smiling as if there was nothing wrong with what he'd just said. Tall, dark and moody Sasuke followed behind him, glaring daggers at the back of the orange-clothed jinchuuriki and keeping silent, much to Kiba's relief. Tenten laughed at Naruto's usual stupidity, walking beside the boy.

"Hey, Naruto," he said as Tenten forced him into a hug, nodding at the blond boy. He found it would make his life easier to simply ignore Sasuke, which the Uchiha didn't even seem to notice.

Tenten frowned, spotting Kankurō. "What're you doing here?" she hissed. Kiba smirked. _Oh, yeah… she's Hinata's best friend… and she also doesn't know what happened!_ Kiba thought as Tenten stalked over to Kankurō, shoving her finger into his chest. Kankurō stared down at the younger girl with slight amusement in his eyes. "You have no right to be here!"

"And why not?" he asked civilly, his voice a light laugh.

"Because Hinata's going to be here, and I have no doubt that she does not want to see you!" she screamed at him.

Kankurō scratched the back of his neck. "Now, you see, that is a problem. Because last I checked, Hinata asked me to come along with her to this thing. I told her I'd meet her here. How awkward would it be if I were to leave and find out that she did really want me here?" he asked her, smiling brightly.

Tenten's eyes blazed. "She did not!"

"She kind of did, actually" said Kiba. Tenten and Kankurō both glared at her. He decided to back track. "Well, I told Kankurō to come… he said he might have something to do, but Hinata told him that if he didn't he wouldn't be getting—_fuck, what the hell was that for?!_" Akamaru had been the one to stop his owner from telling Tenten about their sex life, tackling Kiba roughly and biting his hand. Akamaru was terrified of Tenten and new better than to make her mad. Kankurō's face turned bright red behind the Kabuki paint.

"Getting what?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Ice cream," finished Sasuke, knowing better than to piss Tenten off. "They're getting ice cream." Naruto was still confused, but the look on Sasuke's face told him to accept the information. With a sigh, Naruto settled down on the rock next to Shino, who was polite enough to move over to make room for him.

"How is your Genin group, Naruto?" asked Shino civilly.

Kiba frowned. "They're letting _Naruto _teach Genin?" he asked skeptically.

Naruto gave him the finger. "Hell yes, they are, because I'm the best ninja in this village!" he yelled confidently. Kiba rolled his eyes and pushed Akamaru off of him so he could stand up. "And we just got back from a mission yesterday, too. They did pretty well for their first mission!" His chest swelled with pride at his students.

"Who do you teach?" asked Tenten, giving her blonde-haired friend a small smile.

"I teach…" he began, before he was interrupted by a girl's screaming: "_NARUTO-SENSEI, IS THIS WHAT YOU DITCHED US TODAY FOR?!_" The small group turned to see Hanabi, Hinata's little sister, smiling widely and obnoxiously. Her messy brown hair nearly covered her Leaf hitai-ate, which she had been immensely proud to get. At only ten years old, Hanabi was the second best shinobi in her graduating class. Naruto grinned at the girl, getting up from her place beside Shino and walking up to her, putting his hand onto her head. She pouted, crossing her small arms. "I told you to stop putting your hand on my head!"

"I told you to grow so I could stop doing so. That hasn't happened," he said, smirking down at her. Naruto seemed to take on a new personality as he talked to the young girl, who was surprisingly a lot like him (except she was actually _smart_). Hanabi's eyes glittered with excitement and mischief, attempting to punch her sensei in the face but finding herself unable to do so; Naruto was able to deflect her every try.

Eventually, Hanabi's eyes found Kankurō, and her face lit up. "_Kankurō!_" she screamed, leaving her sensei and sprinting to the puppet master, who could only open his arms and receive the girl. She wrapped her skinny arms around his neck and held on tightly. She hadn't seen this man in years, and she had found from her time spent at the hospital that first night that she had actually liked spending time with him. Of course, this was an unachievable feat these past few years due to the fact that she had to take Hinata's side, first and foremost.

"Hey, Hanabi," he said as the girl made sure to squeeze him tightly.

"You're back together, right? You and Hinata?" she whispered excitedly. "That's why she didn't come home last _mmm_!" Kankurō smashed his hand over her mouth, silencing her, eyes wide that he'd let her get that far without trying to silence her.

"They don't know!" he hissed under his breath. "Don't say anything about it, people don't know!"

Hanabi's eyes widened with understanding, and she nodded. Kankurō hesitantly peeled his hand off of the girl's, lowering her back to the ground. Naruto stared at the two figures, confusion evident on his features. He poked Sasuke in the ribs, earning a dirty look from the shinobi. "Hey! What do you think they're talking about?!"

Sasuke glared. "Do I look like I know?" he snapped at him, narrowing his eyes. Naruto glared back, preparing himself to fight him. Shino looked at the two friends and sighed, slightly amused by their antics. His head snapped up as he realized the approach of Neji, Hinata, Kakashi, Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and one unidentifiable chakra. Shino stood up, eyes trained on the edge of the practice field.

Kankurō noticed his tenseness. "What's wrong?"

"There's someone coming who I cannot identify," said Shino.

Hanabi frowned. "Do you want me to look ahead and see who's coming?" she asked, prepared to activate her kekkei genkai.

Naruto snapped to attention. "No need; I know that chakra. It's one of my students," he said, running over to Shino and putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. Shino's eyes widened behind his sunglasses. _A Genin with a chakra level like that? _Shino wondered, flicking a glance over at Naruto in shock. _He's got to be kidding me. No Genin could possibly have that level… _

Hinata and Neji were the first to come through the clearing, side by side. Neji frowned at his little cousin, next to Kankurō. "So that's where you darted off to, Nabi-chan," he said in a lightly scolding tone, walking over to his cousin and tossing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She squealed out in surprise and happiness, pounding on her cousin's back. Hinata smiled at Kankurō, who winked at her, causing her to blush brightly and giggle shyly. Tenten raised an eyebrow at Hinata, seemingly surprised by her reaction.

_I wonder what she's gonna do to me when she finds out why she acted like that,_ wondered Kankurō, not trying to approach his girlfriend. He wasn't sure if she was ready to tell her friends yet, and he was just fine with allowing her to take her time. He had no idea how to tell his own family about their renewed relationship, so he didn't take her hesitation personally.

Ino and Sakura arrived, arguing bitterly and venomously to each other about a topic none of them could understand due to the shrill volume their voices managed to reach. Kankurō briefly wondered if it would come to blows, but once Sakura and Ino found Hinata and Tenten they quieted down, hugging the girls. Kankurō found himself shaking his head. _I can't understand women…_ he thought, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Shikamaru, Kakashi, and the unknown chakra were the last to arrive, walking in lazily and slowly; as if the three had all the time in the world. Kakashi and Hinata greeted, must to Kankurō's disdain. _I understand he taught her, but I still don't like their relationship!_ Kankurō thought jealously. Hinata looked back at him and smiled brightly, his heart beating hard in his chest. He smiled despite himself. _But I know nothing will happen…_

"Shikaru! You actually got out of bed!" screamed Hanabi from Neji's shoulder. The unknown chakra, Nara Shikaru, shrugged at his younger teammate, blushing lightly at the superfluous attention he was receiving from the girl. Kankurō frowned at the boy, confused. He, too, could sense his chakra level. _His attitude screams Nara, but his chakra level is something completely different! _

Shikaru wore short sweatpants, rolled up to his mid calf; and a simple black sweatshirt with the Nara clan symbol embroidered onto his right breast. The boy's eyes were dark brown, much like Shikamaru's, with jet black hair that he tied back into a low ponytail. To Kankurō, the boy looked like a Nara; but not quite. No, there was something extra about this kid in front of him. Something completely different; more dangerous.

"My cousin forced me," said Shikaru, not looking at the girl. Neji let her go, and so she walked over to him and poked him on the nose, highly amused by his apparent embarrassment. "Said that if he had to go, I did. I did not come because I wanted to."

"You missed me and Naruto-sensei," she teased. Shikaru simply glared at her, his blush increasing by the moment. She flicked his forehead in amusement and playfulness, smiling widely at being the cause of his nervousness. "It's okay, Shikaru, someday I'll get you to admit that you miss us sometimes!"

He coughed a laugh. "You wish!"

"Okay, okay!" said Kiba, calling the attentions of the shinobi around him. He grabbed two brightly colored bandanas out of his weapons pouch, holding them up in the air. "Because of the turnout, I decided to make it into a game! We're gonna make two teams, and we're gonna play a version of 'Capture the Flag'!"

Hanabi snickered. "Nice game, Kiba."

Kiba stuck out his tongue immaturely. "Shut up, I called this, so I make up the game. And whichever team loses has to buy the winning team dinner tonight at the barbeque!" he said.

"Seven and seven?" asked Naruto.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Obviously, Naruto." Naruto glared evilly at the girl, who just glared back. _The immaturity level of Leaf shinobi is highly amusing, _thought Kankurō, looking around at the surrounding ninja. "I wanna be on a team with Sasuke!" she called out, latching onto his arm.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Typical, Ino! I shall be against him and prove to you that he prefers girls with guts!" she hissed at the girl. Sasuke frowned, obviously not liking that his opinion was not being taken into account. Kankurō laughed in amusement at the fan girls' little fight. He always thought that fan girls were needlessly stupid; this was just proof. Sakura and Ino both glared at him; which went unnoticed by him. Hinata giggled as well, his laugh to infectious and seductive for her to ignore.

"No, no, I'll make the teams!" said Kiba, glaring at his friends. "I think Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Tenten, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Kankurō should be on the same team!" Kankurō frowned. _Dammit, I wanted to be on the same team as Hinata… _

"Hey, no!" complained Tenten. "You can't just put yourself on a team with Shino and Hinata, Kiba! It's unfair. You guys already know how to work together."

"You also put three ANBU on their team," complained Sakura. Tenten sucked on her lip but didn't argue, seeing Sakura's point. All Kankurō could see her point as well, but all he thought was, _well, you're set because you've got Hinata on your team. _"Make it a challenge! Put people together who have trouble working together!"

"Fine, fine!" said Kiba, clearly exasperated. "Umm… Hinata, Sasuke, Hanabi, Shikamaru, Tenten, Shino, and… Sakura." He seemed confident in this grouping. "I've got Kankurō, Shikamaru's cousin, Kakashi, Neji, Ino, and Naruto; as well as Akamaru. Is that better?" Sakura grumbled, seemingly agreeable with his dictation. _Bastard, I'm still not with her! _Kankurō thought. He sighed. _I want to impress her… _

_I wanted to be on the same team as Kankurō_, Hinata thought, biting her lip and catching her boyfriend's eye. He smiled at her and winked once again, causing her heart to go extremely fast in her chest. _God, I love it when he does that_, she thought, unable to tear her eyes away.

"Hinata." Hinata turned her attentions to the speaker. The silver-haired shinobi looked down at her, seriousness in his eyes. "Don't use your Wood ninjutsu."

Hinata giggled. "I know, sensei. I never do," she said, smiling at the masked shinobi before her. He seemed to smile at her, but she was never able to tell due to the mask. He was proud of his student's ability to follow directions, it seemed; and like that she knew better than to use her abilities. He knew as well as she did that if people knew, a hell of a lot more people than Kabuto would be after her. The only way to keep her safe was to never use it, unless it was actually a necessity.

Kiba called his entire group over, holding up a blue bandana. They huddled together; knowing not to let the other side know what they had. Despite their skepticism, they all knew that a lot of missions were like 'Capture the Flag', and therefore as shinobi this was something to pay attention to. Kiba stuffed the bandana into Shikaru's hands. "You got this?"

"Yeah," scoffed the boy, stuffing it into his weapons pouch. "And my name is Shikaru; not Shikamaru's cousin."

"Yeah, okay," said Kiba, rolling his eyes. "To me, you'll always be Shikamaru's cousin." Naruto snickered, obviously thinking that Kiba was wrong. Kiba glared at him. "Wanna say something, Uzumaki?"

"No, no," said Naruto, grinning at his student, "Nothing at all, Kiba." Hinata raised an eyebrow, looking over at Shikaru. _What kind of things can this kid do that Naruto's amused by Kiba's dismissal? _Kankurō wondered as Naruto pulled Shikaru off to the side, smirk still apparent. Shikaru raised an eyebrow at his mentor, obviously wondering what he was going to say. "Don't hold back, Shikaru. Show 'em what you've got."

Shikaru's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah." Naruto rubbed the kid's hair, making him groan out. He stood up and looked up, putting his fist in his palm, looking in the direction of the opposing team. "Let's get started!" he said confidently, smirking.

* * *

Far off in the forest, a man watched the group with much interest. He'd been following that girl, the Hyūga girl, but what he found was incredibly interesting. That boy. The Nara boy, with his chakra levels, piqued his interests to the extreme. He'd never seen a boy that young with chakra levels so high. _I… want him…_ he thought.

Four. That brought his tally of shinobi of interest up to four. And all four, he would have. He needed them for his plan. He shivered with excitement towards the days ahead. Finally, he was in the ending portion of his meticulous planning. It will all come to fruition now. He licked his lips and let himself ogle. _It's more than I expected, but I need them all for this. I need someone to fall back on, and this boy, this Nara kid; is perfect for that, _he thought, _besides, who won't do everything and anything needed to take over the world? _

He fixed his hood on his head, making sure to keep the sun off of him. He didn't want anyone to see the glint of his glasses in the tree; didn't want anyone to know of his position. He'd be damned if he risked being captured, even if they couldn't do much to him if they tried.

After all, he was a very dangerous man.

_Now, how do I make sure to let them know that they need to come with me now? _he wondered, excitement coursing through his veins. He couldn't help himself any longer. Kabuto pushed his glasses back up onto his nose, his evil smile overtaking his face. His eyes found the back of a certain girl, one with long indigo hair and pale lavender eyes. _You'll be mine in due time, Hinata-chan…_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Of Jealousy

**Hey, I'm back with the next chapter! It would've been up yesterday, but I was really busy... the hardest part of my year just kick-started, and I have more to worry about... yay. But, hey, it's something I love to do, so I shouldn't complain about it. But don't worry, I'm still going to upload. I will finish this story. **

**It's funny looking back at this. It started off really small. I didn't really have a plot in mind when I began this FanFiction, but now I'm here, like three weeks later; with this really thick-ass plot. It's startling what happens when you're bored and have an over-active imagination...**

**To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: Each chapter uploaded is the latest I've finished, and usually I have like the first page of the next started by the time it's online and ready to view. But I only add it to DocManager when it's finished, because I just like Microsoft Word better... and thanks! I'm glad to know I'm not disappointing you with these late and now sporadic uploads. To ****McKazekage****: sorry, but the specialness of Shikaru is being revealed soon! I didn't want to give too much away just yet... but I think it's pretty cool...**

**DISCLAIMER: Me no own Naruto. **

Hinata stared at the bright green bandana in her hands, wondering why she'd been the receiver of it. Shino nodded at her, giving her a small smile that was barely detectable by anyone who didn't know him. No, only she and Kiba could see the barely perceptible muscle contraction on his face. It kind of looked like a frown deepening, but they could tell it was a smile because Shino had the smallest dimples, and they only showed when he smiled. Hinata nodded, gulping, and stuffed the bandana into her weapons pouch.

Sakura tugged on the sleeve of Hinata's purple jacket. "It's hot out today; you should take this thing off." She looked over at Shino. "And you should take that thing off, as well. You two are gonna bake like that!"

_Now _Shino frowned. "No," he said simply and clearly. Sakura frowned at him and sighed, letting it go. She looked over at Hinata, who simply shrugged at her and smiled politely. A silent _No_. Sakura, of course, wouldn't have any of it. She growled and attempted to tackle Hinata, trying to rip the jacket from her shoulders. Of course, she should have expected Hinata's ANBU training to come into play: the Hyūga easily dodged the pink-haired girl, sidestepping her, and grabbed her from behind; trapping her underneath the armpits in her grip.

Sakura yelped out. "_Hinata!_" she said, fighting to free her arms from the shyer girl's grip.

Hinata blinked in surprise, having not realized what she had been doing. "Ah… sorry, Sakura," she said sincerely, turning the Haruno loose. She looked up at the sky, blinking against the sun. He hand rose to her zipper, and she pulled it down, revealing her simple black tank top. "You're right. It is really hot out here today," she said, trying to appease Sakura by doing what she wanted.

Shikamaru's gaze drifted down to her belt, where her katana was strapped to her. "Do you really need that, Hinata-chan?" he asked, pointing at her waist. She blushed, having forgotten the blade was even there.

"No… but it would be weird to do this without it," she replied, walking over to a bush and hiding her jacket within it, not wanting it to get too hot in the glaring high noon sun. Shikamaru nodded in complete understanding: he kept his sensei's old chakra blades, taking them everywhere and using them rarely. It wasn't that he didn't know how to use it; he would just feel incomplete without the assurance of the weaponry.

"We'll divide and conquer," said Sasuke confidently. "Without a doubt, it's what they'll do as well."

"More than likely, Kiba gave the bandana to Akamaru," said Shikamaru with a frown. "And Kiba is always with Akamaru. And because of their Man-Beast technique; we need at least two people to stay together at all times. That'll be difficult, seeing as how they've also got Kakashi."

"I can go against Kakashi," replied Sasuke.

"You should stay with Hinata," said Shino thoughtfully. "Both of you are more than sufficient enough to take out Kiba and Akamaru, and if anything you two can back the rest of us up against whomever. The major issue as of right now is Kankurō, since he's the unknown."

"He's a puppet master; he's nothing," said Sakura, bubbling with over-confidence. She tightened her fist. "I can take out Kankurō."

"I want to take on Shikaru!" said Hanabi, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"No, you're too little," said Sakura. Hinata sucked in a breath and took a step away. _Oh, no, Sakura; you have no idea what you've just opened upon us…_ she thought as Hanabi's eyes narrowed, anger swallowing her small frame. Hinata knew that her sister was slightly shorter than the average girl, something most would celebrate; but she was too much of a tomboy. She wanted to be like most of the boys that she knew, and most of the boys she knew were tall.

She did _not _like being called short.

Faster than Sakura could possibly have time to react to, Hanabi jumped onto her, hands wrapped around her skinny throat. Sasuke blinked in surprise at the speed of the young, feisty Hyūga and moved slowly away, next to Hinata. Shino sighed, and Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to help her. Tenten giggled and watched, highly amused by this action.

"Oi! Are you guys… oh, shit, Hanabi, don't _kill_ her!" screamed Kiba, running across the field; Akamaru, Naruto and Neji right on his heels. However, despite their speed, Shikaru was the first to get there, wrapping his arms around her midsection and pulling her off of Sakura, allowing the medical kunoichi to breathe.

"Oh, you asshole, Shikaru, let me at her!" screeched Hanabi, reaching for Sakura once again. Hinata moved away again, knowing that her sister was out for blood.

"No, no, no," he replied, gritting his teeth in effort, apparently using his all to hold Hanabi against him. "Stop it. Shorty." Hanabi instantly stopped struggling, all of her anger turning on Shikaru. _Which is exactly what he wants, _thought Hinata with a small smile on her face. _Because she won't try to kill her friend…_

Hanabi pushed away from him, fury in her face. "Dammit, Shikaru, I'm gonna kill you!" she screamed at him, turning around and stomping away. Neji sighed shakily, obviously relieved that no blood was shed as so far. Hanabi turned around to the group of shinobi, eyes narrowed. "Well, what're you waiting for? Let's play Kiba's game, _now!_ I shall prove that size does not matter!"

Hinata allowed herself a sigh, knowing the game was commencing. _I am not going anywhere near them, _she thought, _because I think I might've been wrong. I think his ass is grass._

* * *

Kankurō was fully aware of the pink-haired girl tailing him, ready to attack the moment he dropped his guard. She obviously thought that she was being covert, but she hadn't tried to hide her chakra signature from him. He could've sensed her from a mile out. But he didn't mind. With her fist and medical capabilities, he needed to lure her out as far as he could before incapacitating her in some way.

_I can't use Ant, she'll wreck him to shit, _he thought, thinking of his collection of puppets. _She can take out all of my puppets if I don't play it right; so it's safer not to use any of them… _He grinned to himself. He hadn't expected that he'd get to show off his new ninjutsu capabilities to any friends anytime soon, but this was a nice opportunity that he was just too selfish to resist.

He was going to do this by hand.

He stopped suddenly, turning around to face the upcoming Haruno girl. She smirked at him, obviously over-confident in her abilities at the moment. "Hello, Kankurō-sama," she greeted, pulling on her black gloves. Kankurō smirked and took off his scrolls, leaving them off to the side. He rolled his shoulders, feeling incredibly light at the moment. She raised an eyebrow. "Not using a puppet?"

Kankurō shrugged. "I haven't decided yet," he responded, digging the toes of his feet into the ground. He smirked at her and motioned for her to come forward. "I guess I'll tell in a second, when you give away your weaknesses to me."

Sakura growled. "I'm not weak, asshole!" she screamed, running at him faster than he'd expected her to, but not fast enough to scare him. She brought her fist back, and Kankurō was two steps ahead of her. He brought only a simple arm up, knowing it was sufficient enough. Sakura was confused by his confidence, but her question was quickly answered when she brought her chakra-fueled fist down upon his arm.

And her knuckle broke.

She winced and jumped back, away from him. Kankurō grinned at her, knowing her gaze was stuck by the coating of stone he had been able to form on his arm moments before she brought her fist down. All she had done was cracked the stone, and Kankurō let the armor fall away. "Well, I guess it's my turn now, right?" he asked. "Keep track of me now, right? I need an opinion."

Sakura frowned. "You're not fast," she muttered, running at him again. _He's dropped the armor; I can attack him right now! _Kankurō raised an eyebrow, tensing his muscles in excited anticipation. Sakura could feel him taunting her with that look, that look of utter amusement. She brought her fist back. _I'll use this against him!_ Sakura thought, pouring most of her chakra into her attack.

When her fist was an inch away from his face, he finally moved.

Well, in Sakura's opinion, he disappeared. Sakura fell forward, her momentum making her nearly fall. She whipped around, confused. _He… he was just there! How could he… That was almost as fast as Lee without his weights! How could he have…? _

"Hey, Sakura."

Sakura cursed, trying to turn around as quickly as she could before he struck. She knew it was futile, way before his foot descended on her ribs, sending her flying into a nearby tree. She screamed out in pain, grabbing at her sides. They seemed to be _throbbing_. She closed her eyes, unable to think with the swirling greens and browns in her vision. She heard Kankurō make his way over to her, moving slowly as not to scare her. "Shit, I'm sorry," he said to her. "That's the first time I've fought someone with Earth release. I think I went _way_ too far." His fingers flittered over her sides. "Tell me where it hurts, Sakura."

"I…I can d-do it…"

"Nonsense. You're barely conscious," he said, scolding. "Now stop being difficult. Is it your ribs? Or your entire torso?" He waited a moment before saying, "Sakura, tell me!"

"T-Torso…" she muttered.

"Alright, hold still," he said, gently moving her hand out of his way. She squirmed, and he sighed and grabbed her, pushing her onto lay on her back instead of her side and straddling her. "Stop it, Sakura, dammit!" he snapped, seriousness in his tone. "I'm not as good as you at this! I need to focus and I need to be able to clearly see what I'm doing! I can't do that if you move. Now _stop it_!"

Sakura gulped. "It hurts."

"I know, I know, and I'm sorry. But I can't help if you keep on moving, okay?" he said in a soft whisper, trying to calm her down. "So, please, just stay still, alright? It'll be done in a minute or so, Sakura, if you stop fidgeting. Trust me, alright? Sakura?" She gulped against and nodded uncertainly, cracking open an eye and looking up at him. His face was filled with determination and uncertainty, and he smiled down at her reassuringly.

Warmth spread across her body, making her smile despite her pain. "You know medical ninjutsu… Kankurō?"

"Yeah. After I got poisoned, and you came to save my life; I decided I'd brushed against death, and I'd been unable to help myself. I decided to learn at least the basics so I can avoid dying. Medical ninja are not always on the battlefield…" His voice trailed off, sweat dripping down his forehead. "I never did get to thank you for it, I think… it's because of you I'm still alive, you know that?" He smirked. "In some crap romance, this would be the time I'd kiss you. But I don't want to do that."

"Because…?" Now that he'd said it, she actually wanted him to kiss her. Since she had saved his life, she had been infatuated with the Sand shinobi and his will to live and protect those around him. She had no idea why she liked him so much; so much more than she'd ever liked Sasuke, and it scared her. So she hid it, instead pretending to still be enamored by Sasuke despite how strongly she felt for Kankurō.

And he didn't even realize her crush.

"I'm in love with someone else. Someone really important to me," he said, his hands moving up to her ribs, right under her breasts. It made him visibly uncomfortable to be touching her like this, being near her like he was Hinata. His body knew this wasn't her, wasn't his girlfriend, and it was reacting badly. He was slightly squeamish to be near her, but in his mind he knew it to be his fault that she was like this right now, so he ignored the feelings and pressed forward. "Someone I'd like to marry someday, actually," he blurted, not knowing how else to keep himself calm. To keep himself from jumping off of this girl and pressing against a tree.

"A girl in Suna?" she asked, more than disappointed. Heartbroken.

"No," he spurted; shocked she'd even think that. He finished healing her, so he got off of her, sitting down on the grassy floor. He looked over at the pink-haired girl, knowing she was about to pass out. "I'll tell you who, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone, alright?" he asked.

She nodded, unsure if she wanted to hear, but needing to anyways.

"It's Hinata." Her eyes widened. _The same girl who shattered your heart? _Sakura thought, anger building in her chest. Jealousy. She was jealous of Hinata, of the one who held his heart instead of her. She did the best not to let Kankurō see her emotions, seeing how happy he was when he thought of the girl. _I want to be that girl. _She blinked, exhausted. Kankurō's eyes snapped onto her, a brief flicker of affection leftover from thoughts of Hinata hitting her for a second before a look of concern overcame his features. She was nothing but a friend. _I want Hinata gone. _

He put a hand onto her shoulder, not sensing her hatred towards his girlfriend. "Hey. Go to sleep, alright? Nothing will happen to you." He smiled brightly at her. "Hey, I'm glad you're okay, Sakura." His smile was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.

* * *

Kabuto watched the happenings from a spot up in a tree, aching to kill Kankurō where he stood over the pink haired medical kunoichi but knowing better than to. _To snap his neck…_ he thought, licking his lips in hunger. _No, I can't…_ So he waited, sitting and watching as Kankurō gathered up his stuff once again, pulling and adjusting the multiple straps from his scrolls. Once he left, Kabuto moved, going to the side of the kunoichi.

_I saw that hatred as Kankurō told her of Hinata_, he thought as a snake slithered out of his large sleeve, flicking its forked tongue around as it analyzed the kunoichi. _I can use her to my advantage, I think. She'd be a good asset to have…_ Kabuto put a hand onto her forehead, checking her temperature. _Not sick. Good. _Kabuto sent a pulse of chakra into her brain, effectively waking her up. She squinted up at him, confused and scared. He knew she recognized him, but he felt no need to hide himself. _After all, I've seen into her heart. She's my ally..._

"Where…?" she said.

"Kankurō just left you here," said Kabuto, "Assumedly to continue on with the game, probably to see Hinata." Her eyes flashed with anger, and he knew he'd found the right person to manipulate. "I think you want to get rid of Hinata. Am I correct?" She nodded slowly, and he smirked. _I've got her. _"Well, then, Haruno Sakura, I have a proposition for you…"

* * *

"Dammit… no bandana," said Sasuke, going through Neji's weapon's pouch. Hinata sighed in disappointment, now knowing that all the cuts and bruises from fighting with Neji was for absolutely nothing. She sheathed her katana once more after wiping some of the blood onto the end of her shirt.

"I could've told you that," spat Neji angrily, fighting against his restraints. At the last moment, the end of their fight, Hinata had found the opportunity to make a mud clone to tackle Neji. She had it harden into mud the moment she had her cousin was enveloped in the dirt, and it had also been the only reason close to no blood had been shed, save for a small cut from Hinata's sword on Neji's neck; thankfully not deep enough to kill.

"Doesn't mean it would've been true," said Sasuke, tossing Neji's weapon's pouch onto the ground. He cracked his neck, already feeling his muscles tighten from overwork. He flicked a glance over to Ino, who had been tagging along with Neji. "She's not dead, right, Hinata? You attacked her kind of harshly…"

"She tried to take over your body. I had to get you out of her line of sight, Sasuke," scolded Hinata harshly, moving over to Ino's unconscious body. "And she's fine. She's just drifting for a while, unable to return to her body just yet."

Neji sighed. "Maybe I should've gotten someone else to tag along with me. Maybe Naruto…"

"Naruto's being an idiot and searching for Kakashi, probably," said Sasuke, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked over at Hinata, his sharigan still active. "We should probably do the same, hm? Maybe look for Kiba, see if he's got the bandana."

Hinata nodded. "Sure." Hinata looked back at Neji. "This jutsu should release soon," she told him, nodding at him. She picked up Ino's body and brought her to lean against the hard rock that covered Neji's body. "If not, Ino will get you out when she comes back to her body."

Neji sighed, knowing better than to try and convince his cousin to turn him loose. "Fine," he said, aggravated and exhausted, looking away from Hinata in defeat. She giggled at his annoyance and kissed his cheek. He gave a small smile despite his anger. "When I get out of here, know I'm going to kick your ass, Hinata-chan."

She giggled again. "You can try!" she said saucily, giving a cocky smile. She waved goodbye to her cousin, backing up to stand next to Sasuke. He stared at her, waiting patiently.

"Do you kiss the cheek of every guy whose ass you kick?" he asked.

"I didn't kiss yours," she replied, raising an eyebrow and continuing to smile. She was simply being playful with him, and he didn't mind. He liked Hinata now, a lot more than he had when she'd been assigned to him when he came back. They were good friends, and Sasuke had no intentions in trying to make it anything more than such.

"Then you owe me," he said, smirking. He jumped back into the trees, leaving Hinata to catch up. "Though, we should make a pact."

"Pact?" she called from behind him.

"Yeah. If save your life before you kiss my cheek, then not only do you have to kiss my cheek; but I get to kiss you wherever I want," he said, knowing he was teasing a girl that was so obviously in a relationship with the Sand shinobi. Really, it was so obvious they were back together; it was literally slapping everyone in the face. How people like Tenten and Naruto couldn't see it was way beyond his comprehension, but it didn't matter to him.

She was silent for a minute, contemplative. He looked back to see her giving a small smile. _She knows that I know about her and Kankurō,_ he thought, seeing it plainly in her eyes. _This means that she knows that I mean this harmlessly. _Sasuke believed that love was a sacred thing and something that no one should tamper with. When she and Kankurō had first broken up, the only reason he hadn't attempted to make plans with her was because he knew that she needed to deal with her feelings before spending time with anyone. He respected her enough to allow her to do so.

"Sure, Sasuke," she replied, and he smiled sincerely back at her.

* * *

Ino pouted, crossing her arms as she stared at her empty body. "This sucks!" she screamed out to no one, wishing desperately that she could reach out and fix her hair, which was quickly getting out of control. Neji sighed, obviously impatient for her to return and get him out of the fix he'd gotten himself in. "Just give me a minute!" she screamed at him, knowing he couldn't hear her. "It's not like I've got a say in this!"

A rustling in the brush made her turn around, confused. Her eyes widened to see Sakura, looking angry and intent. If she had an actual body, Ino would've shivered. "I've never seen Sakura like this," she said to herself. Sakura seemed… cold. Definitely not herself. The Sakura she knew looked kind. Loud, but kind. This one was full of hatred.

"I don't have a bandana," said Neji, obviously feeling the anger and hatred radiating off of Sakura's small frame. She smiled evilly at him, and Ino's eyes widened. _That can't be my best friend…_

"I wasn't looking for one of Kiba's fucking bandanas," said Sakura, reaching her hand out for his forehead. Neji tried to move his head away, but with the casing he couldn't move from her. Ino wanted desperately to go back to her body, needing to now to help Neji out.

"Stop it!" she screeched at her, knowing it wouldn't do anything. A tear dripped out of Ino's eye, catching Sakura's attention. Sakura growled, and Ino was afraid of what Sakura had planned for her body.

"Give me a minute, Ino; I'll deal with you in a second," she said, her palm pressing against Neji's forehead. "Neji, Tsunade taught me this jutsu that allows one to implant their will into another's head. They used to use these jutsu on master assassins, when they were reluctant towards a task. I've always wanted to try it, but I've never had a reason." Her mouth neared Neji's ear, and Ino immediately ran besides her to hear whatever she was going to say. "But once some _girl_ steals what's yours, everything else is mute."

"The fuck?" whispered Neji, confused. Ino herself was confused, but she didn't have time to think about it for herself. She tightened her grip on Neji's forehead and muttered something incomprehensible under her breath. Neji took a short breath before his head lagged back, his eyes closing. Ino's eyes widened. She almost thought Sakura killed him before his head came back up. _His eyes… they're empty!_ Ino thought, realizing there was absolutely no emotion behind them.

"Go and take Hinata, Neji," Sakura growled evilly at him, using a chakra-loaded fist to effectively break apart the hardened mud that covered Neji's body. "Kill whomever you have to in order to get her, besides Kankurō. Just bring me Hinata. Got it?" Neji's empty eyes looked over at her, and he nodded. _This jutsu literally takes the consciousness and manipulates its beliefs, making him think everything is nothing more than a target! _Ino realized with a start. _My father told me about this jutsu once. Sakura doesn't know that Neji's in there, fully aware, and when he wakes up he'll remember everything! It'll destroy him, especially if he hurts Hanabi… or Tenten! _

Ino felt herself becoming solid, and she knew she was returning to her body. She squinted, opening an eye. Sakura smirked evilly down at her. "Now, what to do with you," she said, grabbing Ino by her ponytail and yanking her up, making her wince out in pain, reaching for Sakura's hand. Sakura's hand was surrounded by sickly green chakra, and she reached out for Ino's forehead. "I think, for you, this is enough…" she said before she touched her. Ino's head exploded in pain, and she felt herself flying before she blacked out.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Of Bloodline

**Hello, guys! Here's the latest finished chapter... I know that I uploaded this yesterday, but I like writing Author's Notes and I just didn't have the chance yesterday. So, deal with it. :)  
**

**Not uploading tonight. I'm really tired right now... like, "About To Drop Dead In This Chair" dead. It's because I'm back at school, and we're back to work... you see, I won't go into details, but I'm basically in an engineering-type club at my school; and I'm a mechanic. So I use a lot of tools. I just worked like a motherfucker today, and I've been up since 3:30 AM (it's 7 PM right now), to go to the gym before I headed off for school. And then I ran around doing random shit for my teacher, bringing in machines and crap from one building to another... so yeah, no new chappy tonight; my apologies.  
**

**Well, that's enough of my problems.  
**

**On with the story (which I feel has problems of its own, but hey.)  
**

"I did it!" screamed Hanabi triumphantly, jumping up and down excitedly with the red bandana in her grip. She pointed at Shikaru, whose arms were crossed over his chest, smiling at the younger teammate. "I got the flag from Shikaru!"

"You cheated," sighed Naruto, plopping down on the ground. Kiba groaned and followed suit, falling face first. Naruto rubbed his friend's back as Akamaru licked his hand, making sure his master wasn't dead. He looked up at his overly excited student. "You kicked dirt into his eyes and then kneed him in the balls. That was by no means an honorable match. Besides, you didn't even give him time to get into it."

Hanabi frowned at him. "You said to take advantage of all openings while fighting enemy shinobi, Naruto-sensei. And I did. By not letting Shikaru get adjusted to fight, I won."

"You cheated," sighed Shikaru, rubbing the back of his head. "But it doesn't matter, because you won."

She looked down at the bandana in her hand. "Now it doesn't feel honorable," she muttered, disappointed. "It doesn't feel right now."

"Hey, don't say that. What you did was the difference between life and death in a real-life situation," said Shikaru quickly, running over to his teammate and putting his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He grinned happily. "You saw an opening and you took it. I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Hanabi. I'm proud that I'm teamed up with you, because if me, or Shizuka, or even Naruto sensei; are in trouble, you've got our backs!" Hanabi gave a small smile, and Shikaru's grin widened. "Okay? Your win is right," he said, pulling away with a blush on his cheek.

Kakashi sighed. He thought she'd cheated, but he'd seen the lengths this kid had gone to in order to keep her calm. _I've met someone like that before, _he thought, squinting at the boy. He didn't look like a Nara at all to him. His hair didn't look like theirs. His eyes were the same color, but that was about it. No, he was no Nara, and Kakashi knew it. _He reminds me of someone, but I can't tell who… someone I've met before, but… I can't place it…_

He, Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, Hanabi, and Shikaru were in a small clearing, catching their breaths before trying to reconnect with the group, who had gone off in search of Neji, Sakura, and Ino; worried about their whereabouts when they hadn't returned. Kankurō had gone because he had been the last to see Sakura, Sasuke had because he was one of the last to see Ino and Neji, Shikamaru because he was Ino's teammate and knew her habits the best, Shino because he could track them easily, and Tenten because she was dating Neji. They'd forced Hinata and Naruto to stay behind with the rest of the group, saying that three was more than enough.

Shikaru looked over at Kakashi, noticing his stare. "You're the copy ninja, right?" he asked, coming over to him. "You taught my sensei, right?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, I did. One of my best students." Kakashi paused. "I've come to believe that you're one of his favorites. Every time we seem to talk, he somehow manages to bring you into the conversation. He says he's very proud of you."

Shikaru gave a short laugh. "The first day he met me, he decked me. Said I was being a little dick who needed to man the fuck up and face my realities. We didn't have a great relationship to begin with, and it's kind of all my fault." He looked over at his sensei, who was in the middle of a screaming match with Hanabi. "I deserved it, I think. I was selfish and hateful, only looking out for myself."

"Apparently, you did something to change his mind," replied Kakashi casually, waiting for this kid to slip up.

Shikaru was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I did." He bit his lip and looked up at the shinobi. "You're a smart man, Hatake-san, if you don't mind me saying. I have the feeling that you trying to figure out something about me. I strongly suggest you stop trying to get me to slip up information, because the more you try the more pissed I get. And I think it's best for everyone in this group that you stop trying, because I get very… _defensive_ over private information."

"You're not stupid; I'll give you that," said Kakashi with a sigh.

"I can't live in a house with Shikamaru and not be," he replied. "Are we at an understanding, Hatake-san? Keep your curiosities at bay, and you'll live to see another day."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think you can take out a Jōnin, especially when that Jōnin's _me_?"

"Oh, I don't think, Hatake-san," said the boy in a dark tone, "I know I can. But I don't want to. Before, yes. But now, no. So don't push me towards it, because if I have to…" He smiled, and Kakashi shivered. _This kid… what is he… this darkness in him… he feels… like Gaara was…_"I won't try to keep you in one piece, that's for sure."

"Hey, Shikaru!" called Naruto, signaling the boy to come over to him. Shikaru nodded at Kakashi before walking towards his sensei, a smile on his face despite what he'd just done to Kakashi. _He seems nice; I really don't want to harm him. But I don't want a lot of people to know about me; it creates problems. It's bad enough as it is now…_ Despite him living in the Nara house, people knew he was something else entirely. People were scared of the unknown; he learned that at a very early age. No one in the Nara house understood what he bore, and that left him with a terrible loneliness. Naruto had helped him a lot, and so had his two teammates, Shizuka and Hanabi. They knew what he bore, and they helped him with it. The three of them took some of the hatred onto their own shoulders, especially Naruto. Despite his reluctance, he began to use his abilities to protect them, but he wasn't ready for more people than his team to know about it. _I don't want to make the burden worse…_

"You went easy on her, didn't you?" asked Naruto softly, snapping him out of his daze. Naruto stood up, towering over his young student. Shikaru sighed and looked down at his feet, giving a small nod. Naruto put his hand onto his back, leading him over and away from Kiba and Akamaru. "She's not going to get stronger if you continually make things easy for her."

"I know, but…" He looked up and found Hanabi, watching her talk with her sister. "I don't want to hurt her, Naruto-sensei. She's too beautiful to be hurt."

"You won't hurt her," replied Naruto.

"How do you know? I… sometimes I forget when I… I don't…" He bit his lip. "I've hurt you before, Naruto-sensei. I've hurt you badly. Shizuka could barely keep you alive that time, and it was all because I got angry at you. What if I lost myself in the anger… what if I was to lose control, for just a second, and I…" Shikaru's shoulders shook softly. "I can't even think about it…"

"Shikaru, look at me," Naruto softly commanded, kneeling down in front of his student. Shikaru kept chewing on his bottom lip, but he looked up. Naruto softly smiled at him. "I know how you feel about Hanabi, Shikaru. You can try to hide it all you want, but I can plainly see it. You'd sooner gnaw off your own right arm before you harmed Hanabi, I know it, Dattebayo." Shikaru softly smiled at the effect word his teacher added. "Stop worrying and help her, because once this wears off and she realizes what you did, she'll be after your throat." He gave a small laugh at his sensei's words, knowing he was right but finding it amusing anyways.

"Hatake-san is trying to figure me out, Naruto-sensei," he admitted to his teacher. Naruto stiffened, remembering what Shikaru had been taught to do to people who questioned his secrets. _His mother was… a bloody lady… very violent… she's done all sorts of bad by this kid… it's a wonder he's not as insane as her…_ thought Naruto, looking at Shikaru's face. "I threatened him already. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I know how you feel about it. You know that it's okay to wait until you're ready." He patted his student's shoulder. "I'll talk to him, tell him to back off. I'll let him know he's overstepped his bounds, okay?" Shikaru nodded, obviously feeling a load off of his shoulders by telling his sensei.

Hanabi and Hinata watched the two exchange words from afar, quietly observing. "I hope he's okay," whispered Hanabi in a small voice, its softness surprising Hinata. "He's had a rough go of life as so far. Lots of people want to hurt him. Not like me, I mean. He's my teammate and my sworn rival. But I wouldn't _really _kill him, like a lot of people want to." Hanabi pushed the toe of her sandal into the dirt.

"Hanabi?" asked Hinata, "Do you know his…?"

"Yes, and don't ask me to tell you," she replied bluntly, not looking at her. "Shikaru wants to take this at his own pace; he wants to tell people slowly. He confided in me, and it's not my place to tell you, regardless of your relation to me or not."

Hinata nodded, understanding and letting the subject drop. "Sworn rival?" she asked with a giggle, amused.

Hanabi laughed too, and looked up ferociously. "One day, I will take him down. We're competing to become the Hokage after Naruto-sensei. So we're both trying to prove that we're better than the other. And I'm gonna win!"

A rustling in the brush distracted Hinata, stopping her from laughing at her sister's fierceness. She unsheathed her sword, holding it tight in her grip. "Who's there?" she asked loudly, drawing the small group's attentions to her. Hinata moved slowly to the brush, katana in front of her. The blade glinted in the sun, reflecting Hinata's face on its surface. She gulped and looked behind the bush, finding no one there. "Must've been a small animal…" she began to say before spotting a shadow above her.

Turning around, her vision was marred by the sun's brightness, concealing her attacker's face. She couldn't identify more than a black blob coming towards her. And that blob was holding… a kunai? Or was that a sword? Hinata couldn't tell, but it didn't matter; she needed to protect herself.

Something grabbed her from behind and held her still, taking her sword from her. She tried to use their weight against them, but it just wasn't working. _Shit, shit!_ Hinata thought, quickly making a tiger seal with one hand in order to make chakra string, connecting them to the body of her forward assailant, managing to throw them away from her, off to the side. She blinked in surprise as the assailant's face was finally visible. "Neji…?"

"Knock her out," ordered Neji in an empty voice. _Is that Neji? It doesn't sound like him. _Hinata winced in pain as Neji used her chakra strands against her, closing the chakra points in her fingertips. _Like I did to Kankurō… I should've known better than to use the strands on him, but I didn't have much choice… I don't have a puppet to use…_

"Neji, what're you doing…?" Hinata began to ask before the person who grabbed her forced chakra into her nervous system, effectively knocking her unconscious.

* * *

Neji's clone dropped Hinata's body unceremoniously before disappearing into a cloud of smoke, its use obviously expended. Hanabi stared, gape-mouthed, at what her cousin had done. _What is this? _Hanabi wondered, confused. "Neji, what're you doing? That's Hinata!" she said to him.

He flicked a glance over to her, and Hanabi's skin paled and she began to shiver. _His eyes… they're empty! What is this? What's wrong with him?_ Hanabi's heart pounded in her chest as she stared back at her cousin, who she knew to care about the two sisters than his own life. Neji was not this person before her, this cold man who attacked family. Neji raised his finger to her, pointing. "You shall be my first kill."

"K-Kill…?" said Hanabi, shocked. "I'm your cousin."

"Main house scum," spat Neji, tucking the kunai away and activating his Byakugan, getting into a Gentle Fist stance. "Maybe I'll do to you what I failed to do to Hinata back during the Chūnin exam… maybe I'll finally successfully kill a Main house dog and avenge my father…" Hanabi held her hands up, unwilling to fight her cousin. His frown deepened and he ran at her, much faster than she had thought. She barely got out of the way, hopping a meter back. "Fight me, you little bitch! Or I'll kill Hinata before you can blink!"

"I-I…" stuttered Hanabi, looking from her cousin to her sister. "Neji-niisan… I can't possibly fight you…"

He growled and lunged at her again, this time managing a touch to her arm. It fell limply, chakra no longer flowing through it and so incredibly heavy. She knew where he was trying to hit. He was trying to hit her heart. _He's actually trying to kill me! _Hanabi realized, biting her lip and activating her Byakugan, seeing no other option than to fight back. Neji smirked at her as she got into her own stance, preparing herself to fight him.

And they attacked.

To an onlooker, this was a graceful dance; an intricate art that only these two could perform, one of light and fleeting touches, moving too quickly for anyone to see the roughness. But to a Byakugan user, this dance's result had only two fates: life or death. To be simple and blunt, this was the Devil's dance that they performed. Their concentrations and intentions were set: _kill the other before they kill me_.

Hanabi broke away from the dance, panting heavily. She'd nearly been killed; Neji's hand had brushed against her heart. Thankfully, she'd noticed just before he sent chakra to flow through his palm and into her muscles, getting away before he could do anything. Neji was hardly out of breath, and Hanabi knew she was lucky; or at least thought she was until he smiled. "What?" she asked uncertainly.

"You're in the field," he said, his eyes opening. Hanabi's eyes widened, knowing exactly what he meant. _Shit, I can't go fast enough! _Neji put his hand onto the top of his foot, narrowing his eyes at her before lunging. All she felt was pain, so much pain, as he attacked her points, shutting down each one with more fury than the one before it. When he finished, she collapsed, breathing incredibly hard on her. She coughed up blood and sobbed, feeling more pain than she'd ever felt in her life. Her vision was blurry and shaking, like she was moving; but that was impossible because she was on the ground. She could barely make out Neji walking over to Hinata's unconscious body and taking her katana, the blade glinting in the afternoon light. He bent down in front of her, pushing her hair away from her ear.

"You fought valiantly, cousin," he said emptily, "But your fate is to die here. I've seen it. Ready or not, cousin, here it comes. Death is waiting for you. But I'll be quick." Neji let the blade brush against her skin, and she cried out. "I'm giving you mercy." He stood up, holding the blade tight in his hand. He closed his eyes as he began to bring it down, with as much power as he could.

"_NO!_"

Neji felt a vague thrill knowing he cut through something, but it was replaced by the sound of him being able to still hear his cousin sobbing. He opened his eyes to see that kid, her teammate; holding the blade with his bare hands, wincing as it cut through his skin. Neji growled and let go of the handle, pulling away. The boy stood up and pulled the katana out of the skin of his palm, throwing it off to the side.

"You tried to kill her," he said limply, looking down at his suffering teammate. Shikaru couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe anyone would harm _his _Hanabi. Couldn't believe that if he'd been a second later in reaching her… Shikaru growled; his anger overflowing. He'd tried to kill her, his friend, his teammate. _My Hanabi. _

_Secrets are damned, _he thought, scooping her up and running with her over to Naruto, who had found himself only able to watch in shock. Shikaru didn't blame him for doing nothing; he'd frozen too. "Watch her, sensei," he said simply, turning around and pulling up the sleeves of his sweatshirt. "Keep her safe. I'll take care of him."

"Shikaru…" whispered Naruto. "Don't…"

"Sensei, with all due respect… shut the fuck up." Shikaru's anger was too much for him to handle. He had been born with his mother's anger, and he could only deal with it the way she'd taught him to. "Shut up before I do to you what I'm going to do him."

"Don't… kill… him…" murmured Hanabi weakly. "Genjutsu…"

"I'll try to hold back… but you know me…" said Shikaru, trailing off. "Hey, Hatake-san, you'll finally what's so special at about me." Shikaru pulled off the sweatshirt, needing the weight off of his body. Naruto winced the see the multiple scars that covered his arms; a tribute to the kind of life he'd led before Nara Shikaku had taken him in. Before he'd met him.

A tribute to the kind of person he was when fighting: no mercy.

Shikaru rolled his neck and settled into an unusual taijutsu stance, facing Neji. Kakashi's eyes widened in recognition of it. He'd fought a shinobi with a similar stance about a decade back, but he'd been murdered close to eight years ago. This shinobi had been hard as shit to fight, and Kakashi hadn't been the victor of their fight. _Uchiha…_ Kakashi managed to think before the kid took off, running full speed at Neji. _He's faster than Lee!_ Kakashi thought, bringing up his hands in front of his face to keep the dirt out of it.

Neji barely dodged him, bringing his arms up to block the kid's kick. It hadn't helped much: Neji was sent into a tree, hitting it hard enough to break it in two. Shikaru brought his hand down to stop his forward momentum, digging into the dirt.

"Naruto… what is he…?" Kakashi heard Kiba say in wonder and slight fear. Like how people used to talk about Naruto, Kakashi realized. Naruto's eyes saddened to hear his tone.

"He's Nara Shikaru," he said, rubbing Hanabi's shoulder. "Kiba, I need you to help me get her onto Akamaru's back. She needs to go the hospital for a respirator, because she's barely breathing on her own." Naruto waited for a second before looking back at the dog ninja. "Dattebayo, Kiba," hissed Naruto angrily, "Snap the fuck out of it and help me! I don't want to hurt her more getting her onto Akamaru!"

Kiba nodded, looking at his friend. "S-Sure. I'll go with her…"

"That's probably best," agreed Naruto, carefully holding Hanabi under her armpits and picking her up. Together, the two laid her belly-down on Akamaru's back. "Hanabi, Kiba's getting you to a hospital, okay? Do you hear me?"

"Shikaru…" she mumbled. "Don't let…"

"I won't," Naruto quickly promised, kissing the back of his student's head. He knew exactly what she was trying to say, and he didn't want her to think like that. "I will keep Neji safe, alright? Even if Shikaru turns on me. I've done it before, so trust me, yeah?"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah." He rubbed her shoulders affectionately as Kiba mounted Akamaru. Akamaru licked Naruto's hand once, in reassurance, and then ran off. He sighed, relieved that Hanabi was out of harm's way. _But Hinata…_ he thought, turning his attention to the Hyūga heiress's unconscious figure. Kakashi moved forwards as if to get her, and Naruto grabbed his arm. "No, sensei. You don't want to get in the middle of this." He watched Neji pick himself back up, lunging at Shikaru. "If Neji remembers anything from this, he'll remember whatever he's planning to do next."

"What is he, Naruto?" asked Kakashi as Shikaru tossed Neji over his shoulder head-first to the ground, the sickening thud heard from their spot.

"You guys thought I was a demon because of Kurama," said Naruto slowly, trying to find the best way to explain Shikaru's complex. "Well, Shikaru really is one, I guess." He rubbed the back of his head. "Did you ever hear the stories of the 'Bloodied-Eyed Demon' in the Land of Earth, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded, aware of the stories. They had been legendary, causing fear in the hearts of many daimyos. It'd been startling to see how many people believed in the urban legend. He knew they were about a boy, raised by his mother for one purpose: to kill all those she considered to be an enemy. This boy had been a ripper, drenched in the blood of many. Unsurprisingly, no one could prove his existence. Kakashi had thought it was all a load of bullshit, or at least until now. "No, no," said Kakashi shakily, "His eyes are blood red."

"Kakashi, Kakashi," said Naruto, shaking his head, "I think we both know what was meant. These were civilians, Kakashi; and we all know what 'blood eyes' are."

A sickening snap resounded across the clearing, and Naruto and Kakashi found themselves staring as Neji fell, screaming in pain. Shikaru had snapped his leg, breaking it badly enough for bone to show through. _No, crap, blood!_ Naruto thought, eyes widening as blood dripped down Neji's leg in rivers. Just what Shikaru didn't need. He didn't need more of a reason to get excited, to get carried away, to kill…

"Shikaru, that's enough," said Naruto, stepping forward. The boy didn't turn around, seeming not to acknowledge him. Naruto cleared his throat. "Shikaru, that's _enough!_"

A sick, humorless laugh resounded through the clearing, and Naruto knew what was happening. "Naruto-sensei, I thought I told you to stay out of this, or I'd give to you what I'm giving to Neji-san for hurting Hanabi," he said, tilting his head back in the slightest bit of acknowledgement. _He's so far gone, _thought Naruto, gulping and stepping forwards again.

"She wouldn't want you to kill him!" he said. "Think about this; think about what Hanabi would want, Shikaru!"

"She'd trust my judgment," snapped Shikaru, back still turned to Naruto. "She'd be mad, at first, but she'd know how necessary it was. If he was weak enough to get caught in this genjutsu, then he needs to die. It's how you protect those you love most, by killing those who are threats to their safeties."

"That's something your mother would say," said Naruto, knowing he was walking a fine line. "She'd tell you that this was the right way to do things; that killing Hanabi's cousin would be the way to go. She manipulated you, Shikaru, and your abilities. You're not her puppet, right? Remember? You know she was wrong. So think about this. Think about Hanabi for a second Shikaru. Picture her reaction."

"Don't make me slaughter you," growled Shikaru, finally turning around. Kakashi stared in shock to see a Sharigan eye… and a Rinnegan? _That can't be possible… a Rinnegan eye… how is he… what is he… Naruto, what have you been hiding?_ "Don't patronize me, sensei. I'm doing what needs to be done." Shikaru's hands moved so quickly, Kakashi was hardly able to see his seals. He lifted his hand, and the sounds of chirping birds filled the space. Kakashi's eyes widened in shock to see this kid able to use his Chidori. "She'll thank me for it."

Naruto ran at him. "Shikaru, no!" he yelled, knowing his student wouldn't stop until he was dead. The Sharigan transformed shapes, becoming a Mangekyō Sharigan, intending his sensei to look him in the eye. When it became evident he wouldn't, he switched to his Rinnegan, using the Deva Path to push Naruto off to the side, making him hit a tree.

"I apologize, sensei, but this needs to be done for the good of Hanabi," said Shikaru in an empty voice, turning his attentions back to the shaking Hyūga. "It's okay to be scared, Neji-san," he whispered, "Because I would think you to be a moron should you not be." He brought his hand down, chakra crackling.

"No!" screamed out Naruto, getting to his feet and tackling Shikaru from behind, the Chidori missing Neji's head by millimeters. Shikaru growled and fought against his sensei, trying to free himself. "Goddammit, Kakashi, get Neji and Hinata and _get the hell out of here!_" he screamed, fighting against the boy under him. _Every time, he seems to get stronger…if he doesn't learn to control this anger, I won't be able to control him next time. _"Shikaru, stop it! Remember who you are! Remember how much you hate to kill, especially when they don't deserve it! You're not that person anymore, and you know you're not! Calm down!"

"Kakashi, what's going on?" Kakashi's head snapped up, finding that the search party was returning in. Shikamaru carried Ino's unconscious, bloodied body on his back, leading the group into the clearing. A look of shock overcame their faces to see the two fallen Hyūga, the shocked Kakashi, and two fighting figures of Naruto and Shikaru. Kankurō ignored everything else upon seeing Hinata lying there, immediately coming down besides her, taking her into his arms.

"She's alive," said Kakashi. "Unconscious, but alive. We found Neji, rather, he found us. He's under a genjutsu of some sort. He hurt Hanabi, and Kiba's taking her to the hospital." Kankurō nodded, pressing her tightly against his chest. He looked like a part of him had just died to see her like this. He was terrified, Kakashi realized, terrified to see her harmed in any way. Kakashi could see Kankurō's fingers leaving long bruises on her fair skin. "You'll do her more harm than good by holding her like this…"

"I'm not leaving her," he muttered, not raising his eyes from her face. "I don't want to leave her alone. Especially when she's like this." Kankurō's hand moved upwards to her face, softly cupping her cheek. "You taught her, right? Helped her with… stuff? Mentoring and crap?"

"…yes," said Kakashi uncertainly, keeping track of how Naruto was dealing with Shikaru. He was wearing out the Rinnegan-wielding boy, tiring him down to a manageable level. Shikamaru was helping him, trapping him within a Nara shadow jutsu. Sasuke and Tenten dealt with Neji, who sobbed with pain. Shino stood beside Kakashi and Kankurō, watching Hinata with concern evident in his usually stiff features. Ino's unconscious body lay meters away, tucked under Shikamaru's discarded jacket.

"You would protect her, right?" asked Kankurō softly, "When I can't. Make sure she's safe…"

"I do… usually." He cursed himself for not acting like Hanabi, for not coming to her aide.

"That's all I wanted to hear," said Kankurō, visibly relaxing. He ran his fingers through her long hair, playing with it. "I just wanted to make sure you'd keep her safe. I'm not mad at you; it's not like she's dead. If you felt she was in absolute danger, then I'm sure you would've done something." He smirked, though it was weak and wobbly, easily falling off of his face. "It's Kabuto for sure. I know it."

"You don't…"

"The moment I came back into her life, someone tries to take her. It's not a great coincidence, Hatake-san." He looked up, staring at the boy who was only very weakly struggling against Naruto. "I felt his chakra. I forced them to run here and make sure everything was okay… I saw his eyes before Naruto tackled him." Kankurō shivered. "He looked so… dead… I thought it was my father…"

Kakashi was confused. "Your father…?"

"Yeah. He uh… wasn't very kind. He tried to kill me once. He attacked with the same viciousness," he explained softly, biting his lip. "I thought it was my father, back from the dead." He looked back down at Hinata's face and smiled. "I'm glad Hinata didn't have to see that. I don't want her to see the kind of monsters that exist in this world. It's too late for me, but her… I don't want her to… that's what I want to protect her from. Not from fighting, because there's no way to hide her from that. Not from death, because nobody can really fight it. It's those terrible, creepy shits that haunt me when I go to sleep at night, those things that I was once a part of." He held her tighter. "I don't want them to change her. Because if they do, I'll lose her, guaranteed."

* * *

_Fight. Fight. Kill. Kill. _It pounded like a drum in Neji's head, each beat hurting more than the one before. _Fight. Fight. Kill. Kill. _His morality wanted to ignore it, but his sense as an assassin wasn't allowing him to. Even with the pain in his leg, he knew he had one good last stand. _Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. _**_KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL_**. Neji forced his eyes open, jumping to his feet despite the pain. Someone—Tenten—yelped out in surprise and tried to grab at his sleeve. He swatted her away, irritated by her annoyance. The annoying Uchiha yelled out something—probably something about him, he wasn't too sure. Neji attacked, deciding on him to be his kill.

_I need to stop the voice! _Neji thought, his Byakugan activating. He had to ignore all shooting pain up his leg to fight, which was hard on the one leg. Sasuke seemed to be going easy on Neji, which just pissed him off. He wanted the Uchiha to _beg_ for his life. To beg for mercy. Then he wanted to spill his blood, coating his fingers with the sticky liquid. To see his blood drip all over his hands.

Neji pulled out a kunai and managed to get the Uchiha in the elbow when he didn't notice, stabbing him clear through. It wasn't the same as killing him, as slitting his throat; but it was delicious enough. He wanted more. He wanted more of Sasuke's blood on his hands, more on the ground, more on every surface he could cover.

_And he wanted Hinata to see him spill his lifeblood. _

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" screamed Sasuke, grabbing at his elbow, trying to stop the immediate flow of blood. Tenten covered her mouth and screeched; eyes wide in terror as her boyfriend spilled the Uchiha's blood all over the dirt floor of a practice field they'd used since they were young Genin. Their screams managed to wake Hinata, who was disoriented and scared immediately, confused by the sounds around her. It sounded like complete chaos, and she couldn't make sense of a word. _What's going on? What's wrong with Sasuke? Why is he screaming like that? _Hinata wondered, her eyes unfocused.

"Shino, help him!" yelled out what sounded like Kankurō, jumping to his feet and letting go of Hinata. The buzz of the beetles filled the air, further confusing Hinata. _What is going on? _"Kakashi, get Hinata out of here!"

Hands wrapped around her arm, but she refused to budge. "Hinata, we have to get you out of here! Neji's under genjutsu!" Kakashi yelled at her, trying to get her to move of her own free will.

"Neji," she whispered, everything coming back to her. _Neji. Neji attacked me, _she recalled, shivering and allowing Kakashi to pull her to her feet. Suddenly everything snapped into focus, and she sucked in a breath.

Blood.

So much blood.

It covered the floors and the grass, hanging onto the skins and clothes of the people around her. Her cousin, his very bone protruding out of her leg; attacking Sasuke relentlessly, who was falling back due to his injury. Shino did his best to block every attack Neji tried on Sasuke with his bugs, and Kankurō quickly caught Neji's attentions, bringing his knee to his jaw. A sickening snap was heard as Kankurō broke it, Neji falling onto his back.

Of course, he didn't stay there for long. Despite numerous, bloody injuries, Neji got back up; quivering under the effort. Bleeding to death right on that field. Shaking, Neji got into his Gentle Fist stance, preparing to attack Kankurō now. Kankurō dropped his puppet scrolls, knowing the uselessness of them. He, instead, got into a taijutsu stance and attacked Neji, swinging his fist out to meet Neji's kidney. Neji brought his knee up to Kankurō's stomach, but it didn't seem to deter him.

"Kankurō," she whispered as Tenten wrapped her slender fingers around her scrolls, summoning many weapons for Kankurō's use. She joined him in his fight, wielding many of her own. Tears came to Hinata's eyes, those of fear for her best friend and her love. She grit her teeth, hating the feeling of absolute weakness they were making her feel. _They're all just protecting me! I'm sick of this! _

She noticed that all of her group was busy. Shikamaru and Naruto were busy with Shikaru, carrying him for some strange reason. Kakashi was trying to reason with her. Tenten, Sasuke, Kankurō and Shino were busy fighting Neji. She had no idea where Sakura, Kiba, Akamaru, or Hanabi were, but she hoped they were okay. _Wait… where's Ino…? _

Hinata's eyes found her, laying in the field and vulnerable. Her eyes widened to see everyone disregarding the blonde now, and she was only meters away from the fight! "Let go, Kakashi!" growled Hinata, pulling against the silver-haired shinobi's grip. He didn't, and she was quickly growing more and more impatient with him. "Ino's unconscious, Kakashi, and she's going to get hurt if someone doesn't help her! Let me go!" As a last-ditch effort, Hinata activated her Byakugan, pressing her hands against his arm and closing his chakra points, forcing him to let go. She tore away, running to her blonde friend.

"Ino, wake up!" yelled Hinata, looking frantically back at their fight. They were getting close… too close… Hinata shook her harshly, trying to wake her up quickly so she could get her out.

"Hinata, look out!" screamed Naruto. She didn't have to look: Neji must've gotten away, and he was coming for her. Probably giving up on fighting Kankurō and deciding to attack and unconscious, vulnerable girl. _Shit! _Hinata thought, her hands weaving together. _I promised Kakashi-sensei, but Ino's safety comes first! _Hinata's hands slammed down on the ground, hoping she could form what she needed quickly enough.

_One meter. A breath away! Here goes nothing…!_

* * *

To see Wood-style ninjutsu was like seeing true magic to Kankurō. Growing up, his uncle had told him stories about the creator of Konohagakure, how he formed the entire village with jutsu alone. His uncle had told him that it was majestic because it was what he, the First Hokage, had imagined his home to be. And that he was a great man because he'd been unafraid to make it so.

"Yashamaru-ojisan, will I be able to use it?" he asked, at only four not understanding the meaning of a kekkei genkai. Not understanding the nature of a bloodline limit, not understanding it was a familial tie that could possibly give him the ability to manipulate wood. Yashamaru simply smiled and patted his small head as two-year-old Gaara stuffed his big brother's thumbs into his mouth, his sand whipping around all three of their heads. Kankurō had, by now, realized how special Gaara truly was, and he just wanted to be able to make Gaara say the same thing about him.

"No, but maybe you'll meet someone who can, and they'll show it to you," said Yashamaru, doubting it but needing to keep the boy's hopes up. And Kankurō accepted the white lie, hoping for years to one day see someone manipulate wood before his eyes.

He hadn't actually thought it'd come true.

But it did. His love, Hinata, was making a dream of his come true. Wood broke through the dirt floor, snapping and grabbing at Neji, binding him and wrapping around him, tightening every time he moved. The wood seemed to be living, breathing; and very angered; showing no mercy against the Hyūga male as it wrapped around his body, holding him tightly in its grip. He watched in awe as the wood finished its work, seemingly turning lifeless before his eyes as it stopped moving, choosing to stay in its position around Neji.

Neji growled, fighting against his restraints relentlessly and uselessly. Kankurō stared in wonder, daring to come close and press his hands against the wood, feeling its smooth surface under his fingers. He felt a zap, and he immediately pulled his hand away. He looked up at Hinata, face like a kid in a candy store. She smiled tiredly at him, proud of herself for protecting Ino. She put down a hand onto the ground, feeling suddenly very dizzy. "Oh."

"Hina," he murmured, running to her side and putting his arm around her, supporting her. He kissed her temple; lips cool against her hot, sweaty skin. She moaned and let her eyes flutter shut, obviously enjoying the contact. He smirked and pulled her into his arms, knowing she needed medical attention and really had no strength left to get herself from the hospital. "Someone release Neji. I'll deal with Hinata."

She softly slapped his face, earning a questioning look from him. She pointed weakly. "I'm not… invalid. I can take care of myself. I don't need you guys to always protect me." Her eyes fluttered shut as she dozed off, expended and tired. "You… jerk."

He smirked, understanding what she was trying to get at in her exhaustion. He kissed the bridge of her nose. "Yes, I know. But I want to protect you, because you're mine." He looked at her peacefully resting face. "You'll always be mine."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Of Secrets

**Okay, just so you guys know in advance; this chapter has multiple P.O.V's. The first is Sakura's, the second Gaara's, the third Kakashi's, and the fourth and fifth being from Kabuto and another character. (Yes, I added another one... don't worry, I didn't make this one up this time. He's in the manga.) xP And also, I'm not exactly proud of this chapter. I know it's kind of crappy. And maybe kind of fucked-up at some points. But I needed to explain something about my OC, Shikaru. I hope you all follow along with what I made up. **

**In other news, I'm going to work on another lemon chapter for this. **

**And I'm thinking about writing a sequel to this story. Not a KankuroxHinata, but a HanabixOC (Shikaru). Any thoughts? Tell me! **

**To ****pervylibrarianninja****: don't worry, I caught what you were trying to say the first time, ha. I'm glad you like it! To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: I forgot to write in into this chapter, but don't worry. Neji's out of the genjutsu. And thanks, ****jluby****!**

**Thanks for everyone for being patient with these uploads. I'll try not to disappoint. **

**DISCLAIMER: don't own Naruto. Will never own Naruto. Sorry. **

"Hey, Sakura!"

_Hey, Sakura, I love you, _she imagined him to say, turning around and forcing a smile at the painted face of Kankurō; who fortunately wasn't being followed by that whore, Hinata. Kankurō smiled down at her, happy to see her. He trusted her, she knew. And she felt that he had all the reason to. She just couldn't understand what he saw in _Hinata_. Hinata was quiet and stupid, and way too curvy. She, Sakura; was perfection.

So why _her_?

"Yes, Kankurō? What is it?" she asked, biting the inside of her mouth in anticipation. _Will he be over Hinata, seeing how easily she'd been taken out by Neji earlier? Will that turn him off of her? _She'd thought it might do that at least, when she realized Neji had failed her. But, she knew it to be false. Ever since they got out of the forest, Kankurō had been hanging around the hospital, either checking in on Hinata, Neji, Ino, or Hanabi; with a somber, worried expression plaguing his features. It irritated her endlessly to see him so sad about _Hinata, _of all girls.

"I've been so caught up with Hina-chan, I haven't asked about you," he admitted, blushing lightly and rubbing the back of his neck. Sakura just wanted to tackle him and rub herself against him when he did that. "I mean, we found you cut up—"

"Just a little cut on my forehead," she said, giggling and raising her hand to her forehead, covered by bandages to hide a clear, uninjured large forehead. She had sliced it with a kunai when she had sensed their chakras approaching, trying to make them think she had been attacked by someone before they'd come to her. She'd healed it the moment she was alone, finding it annoying. To keep up appearances, she bandaged her forehead.

"But you were still hurt," he said, shrugging off the information, "And I haven't even asked about you. I've just been concerned with watching Hinata, or watching Hanabi, or Neji, or Ino; that I've just forgotten to talk to you." He gave a wry smile. "I haven't even slept on something remotely bed-like since, like, three nights ago."

"Why haven't you gone to your hotel? Isn't Gaara worried about you?" asked Sakura, eyes wide.

"I'm sure he is, and I'll pay for it later. But… this is more important, right now, I think." He lowered his voice, nearing her. "You do remember, right? Tell no one. I don't want to cause any problems."

She shook her head, making it seem like the idea were preposterous. "No, of course not!" she said in an aghast-sounding tone.

He sighed in relief. "Oh, God. Thank you, Sakura." He smiled at her, making her heart skip a beat. "You're a really good friend, Sakura. I'm glad I've got someone like you in my life, because you're a great person to know. I know you'll never do anything to screw up anyone's life, because you're a really nice girl." He bit his lip. "I'm sorry."

"For what, now?" she asked, confused.

"I taunted you, back at the forest. Saying I wanted to prove you were weak and such… it was just bullshit." He smiled sheepishly. "I know you're not weak. It's just that I wanted to get in your head."

"Oh!" Sakura said, surprised he would even think to apologize for it. "I don't mind."

"I do," he said, his eyes soft and apologetic. "I hated it when people pulled that shit with me, and its happened way too often; and then I went and did the same routine with you. That was completely unfair to you to get the same treatment." He shrugged. "But, um… Sakura?"

"Yes?" _Ask me out, ask me out! _

"When you're attacking people, um… don't go head-on. They expect that. Also, don't use your best technique straight off. It sets the bar on the level needed to beat you, and it's best not to give someone that advantage," he said, obviously feeling awkward for telling her these points; but she was soaring. It meant he cared enough for her to tell her how to keep alive, how to keep from getting her ass kicked on a mission.

Of course, he was doing it in a friendly way. She thought that he was secretly in love with her because of it.

_Kankurō, you are the perfect man. Fuck being with Hinata; be with me. Forever, okay? I know inside you love me, too! _She watched Kankurō turned away from her, shoving his hands in his pockets. She sighed sadly as she let him go. _I need to get rid of Hinata. Badly. Because I want… no, need; I need Kankurō… _

"Hey, Sakura." Sakura jumped, always surprised by Sai at the worst possible moments. He smiled his usual fake smile at her, and by now she had learned not to be annoyed by it all the time. "I was wondering if you can tell me where Ino is sleeping."

"Ino?" she asked, wrinkling her brow.

Sai nodded, still smiling. "Yes. My so-called girlfriend, Ino. Self-imposed, really…" His smile slipped, and his face regained its true seriousness. "I have read that it is usually customary to see those who are in a romantic relationship with one's self, especially when that person is in the midst of receiving medical attentions. And to usually come baring flowers of some sort." He held up dandelions, and Sakura forced back a snicker. _Ino deserves dandelions. Ugly yellow-haired nosy slut_, she thought of her former best friend. "It is also a social custom for friends to tell one another whenever something is wrong, or secrets they may keep." Sai cocked his head, staring at her intently. "And I have the feeling that you may hide something right now, Sakura."

_Dammit, Sai! _

She forced a smile. "I'm hiding nothing, Sai!"

Sai stared at her for a second more before smiling again. "Okay, Sakura," he said, allowing her to sigh in relief before he said, "I don't believe you, but okay. Eventually it will come back to bite you in the ass, and I will be there to be amused by it." She stared at her socially retarded teammate, truly wondering what it would be like if Sai was an interrogator of some sort as he bowed politely before walking off, headed to find Ino.

She gritted her teeth. _How will it bite me in the ass, Sai, tell me? I've wiped Ino's memories, I've probably wrecked Neji's mental stability, and soon Hinata will be in Kabuto's hands; leaving Kankurō all for me, _she thought, smiling wide at the thought of him finally being hers. She wrapped her arms around herself, blushing. _Yes, Kankurō will be mine!_

* * *

"Kankurō." The puppet master's head had been sagging forwards, his eyes closing and beginning to drift off into sleep as he was rudely awakened. He snapped to attention, eyes half-open. Gaara stood there, arms crossed over his chest, eyes aflame with anger. Kankurō opened his mouth to explain, but Gaara interrupted him. "Where. The fuck. Have you. Been. You. Little. Bastard," growled the Kazekage. "I haven't seen you in four days. I thought you were kidnapped, or worse, killed. I was about to go on a rampage. And I find out from _Naruto_, of all people; that you have been spending your time in a _hospital _rather than making sure I didn't, you know, start fucking _murdering every person in Konohagakure who looks at me funny_?!"

Kankurō jumped to his feet, grabbing Gaara's shoulders. "Calm down, Gaar. I apologize. I just… I didn't think about it. I've been thinking about too many other things."

Gaara glared, but he seemed more calmed down. "Like what?"

"Lots," said Kankurō tiredly, looking away from him. "More like, life. My life. My career. My past. My future. But mainly my immediate future." He bit his lip. "What I should do, you know?"

Gaara grunted his reply, sitting down on the bench as he swung his gourd off his back, placing it on the ground beside him. He bit his lip and looked down at his sandals, unsure of what to say to his brother. "Are you talking about Hinata?" he asked slowly, still thinking of the correct words.

"Kind of, but not completely," sighed Kankurō, sitting down again beside his brother. "I'm just thinking about what I'm doing now, as a shinobi." Gaara's eyes widened, and he stared as his brother as if he'd developed a third head. "I can't be a shinobi forever. Someday, I'm going to want to settle down and raise a family. I'm going to have kids that I'm going to want to watch grow up."

"You can't quit," sputtered Gaara, "No one just quits."

"Someone should, then," said Kankurō stubbornly. "Because I want to be there, when my kid is born. I want to be there when they take their first steps. I don't want to be away, worrying that at any moment someone might kill me while on a mission. I don't want to die, wondering about my family. Wondering what they're doing; what they'll be doing when I'm gone."

"So don't," said Gaara, surprised Kankurō was even honestly thinking about this, about quitting. It was vaguely disgusting and downright cowardly to him, to want to quit being a protector of a village; but on a purely familial level it made sense. Gaara was told once that their mother had quit being a shinobi to raise her children until at least the Academy age. It was completely selfless to put the safety of your family first, in Gaara's eyes. But… she'd also been very unhappy doing so, from what he understood. From what Yashamaru had told him. "Don't think about it."

Kankurō snorted. "I sometimes wish I could still. Not think about it, I mean." He bit his lip. "I used to be able to just shut it out, everything just didn't matter. It used to be that I looked out for myself and that was it. I didn't feel that I needed any of my fellow shinobi, because I thought you all looked down at me. All criticized me. I thought you all ridiculed me behind my back, calling me weak. And then… Hinata showed me that no one did, and if they did… it didn't matter. Because at that point, the only approval I wanted… it was hers. And then everything I thought about was her. What she would do if I died… if she would care…" Kankurō trailed off, staring at the handle of the door in front of him.

"Is she… hurt again…?"

"She's very weak at the moment. Neji forced too much chakra into her system, and her body is having trouble expelling the excess. She's on bed rest. She's sleeping right now… she sleeps a lot." Kankurō smiled, flicking a glance over at his brother. "I've just realized… you've never really met her, have you? Not to talk to her or anything."

Gaara shrugged, blushing. "I… I hardly think it's necessary for me to meet her…"

"I want you to." Kankurō's voice was a mumble, but Gaara heard it very well. He looked up at his brother, eyes widened again. Kankurō's face was flushed red, and he looked away from Gaara's face, suddenly finding a water fountain incredibly fascinating. "I guess… I think it would mean a lot to me if you met her, Gaara…"

Gaara gave a small, soft smile, turning away from his brother. He remembered that face well; the last time he'd seen it was when he was very young. In fact, it was one of Gaara's fist memories; seeing that face. He had been sitting by himself on a park swing, watching many other kids play games. His father was on a diplomatic mission, and he'd brought the three siblings along for the first time. Kankurō had joined a bunch of kids to play after they'd asked him, playing kickball.

He'd seen Gaara sitting by himself, looking at the group of kids play games, and immediately felt bad for leaving his brother all alone. He knew that Gaara had a problem with social situations; he himself had a few issues. But he felt it was the job of the big brother to help their little siblings work through those problems. So Kankurō managed to convince the other kids to allow Gaara to play, which had been rather easy considering they did not know of Gaara's demon.

Gaara had been ecstatic, and the sand surprisingly well behaved. Kankurō had swelled with pride to see Gaara so happy, so happy to be wanted by people. Kankurō carried his spent brother back to camp on his back, the both of them laughing as they remembered the details of the game.

One of the parents had seen Gaara and realized who he was, and they had immediately found the Kazekage and notified him about what his sons were doing. Seeing as how the Kazekage literally couldn't harm Gaara, he had decided to make Kankurō pay for his mistake. He ordered Yashamaru and the bodyguards to take Gaara and Temari to town, and then as punishment had his remaining bodyguards hold Kankurō over the open flame, lowering him every time his screams increased in volume.

Gaara remembered that he had never heard screams so loud, and that Yashamaru had pulled him into a hug when he cried out in fear, telling him it was nothing.

When they had gotten back about eight hours later, Kankurō was awake and in the boys' shared tent, arms wrapped around his legs. Gaara had sat down at his feet, eyes wide and waiting for his brother to say something—anything. He was afraid something was wrong, and he didn't know something truly was.

"Gaara-otouto," Kankurō had said suddenly in a hoarse whisper. "If I were to run away from Otousan, would you follow me?"

"Of course!" said Gaara immediately before his mind caught up. He hung his head. "Of course, that's only if you want me to follow you… I understand if you don't, Kankurō-niisan…"

"Why wouldn't I want you around?" asked Kankurō, causing Gaara to look up and see that same face: that embarrassed, blushing, semi-amused and semi-serious face, looking down at Gaara's sandal instead of his face. "I mean, I guess it would mean a lot to me, if you were to come along… I don't want to be alone, after all, that'd suck… but I mean, I guess out of all the people in the world, I would choose you…"

Even then, Gaara could tell how much Kankurō loved him.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi rubbed his brow, taking all the sweat gathering there off. He was sitting in the incredibly _hot _shinobi records room at the Hokage towers, toiling over the amounts of files. He would have opened a window, but he didn't want an alarm to go off signifying he was in there—technically speaking, he wasn't truly permitted to be in there. But he had to be, he _needed _to be. He needed to find out everything being withheld from him, which was quickly turning out to be quite a lot.

First of all, the business of Nara Shikaru.

Kakashi found out that he was not truly a Nara at all, after he had looked through the files of all known Nara's in the system. In fact, after running his name through the database, he found out that this kid wasn't even truly named Shikaru.

After all, the file of Shikaru only went back the past four years, and it was incredibly scant at that. The only thing of interest in it was that he'd been a very late entry into the Konohagakure Ninja Academy system: he'd been a student for barely three years. Not unusual—he himself had graduated at five—but he'd managed to get through with incredibly mediocre grades and practically wordless reviews from his teachers.

They weren't allowed to talk about him, it seemed. Nothing even pointed towards _how _he'd passed the exit exam; his marks were unrecorded for it. _Fuck, his file is under lock-and-key_, thought Kakashi, shaking his head as he turned the page, finding a grainy, low quality picture of the boy, looking with all seriousness at the camera. _That look… I've seen it! _

Kakashi jumped up, going to a cabinet labeled _Uchiha_ and yanking it opened, going through every file until he found the specific one. He lifted it out, smiling in triumph as he opened the file of the Uchiha. He pulled out the picture, holding it next to that of Shikaru's. _I knew that Shikaru looked familiar to me… I just couldn't place him… he doesn't have his lashes, but… this is his son. Uchiha Shisui… had a son… _Kakashi had always known of Shisui; he'd been a sort of prodigy of the clan. Shisui was a couple of years younger than he, about seventeen or so at the time of his death. Many years older than Itachi, his supposed murderer. Kakashi had never bought that story—Shisui was much stronger than any other Uchiha, with his Mangekyō Sharigan.

But a son?

"But if Shisui is Shikaru's father… who is the mother?" he pondered aloud, flipping through Shisui's file, tapping his foot against the floor in anticipation.

"You know, Kakashi, if you wanted to know something about Shikaru, you could've asked me," said a voice behind him. Kakashi stopped tapping his foot, but he didn't look around. The person sighed and walked into the room, closing the door behind himself. Wait—two people? _Yes, definitely two. Two people. _"Sensei, you've left a mess," he complained, stepping over the files on the floor. Naruto and Shikamaru entered his line of sight, managing to avoid banging their hips against the shelves on the file cabinets that Kakashi had left open in irritation.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it wasn't still a secret," replied Kakashi sarcastically, glaring at the two.

Naruto sighed. "Look, it's not like I wanted to hide this from you. In fact, I thought you might be able to help him a little, the first time I met him… but they wanted me to help him, and they wanted me to remain quiet about him." He eyed the file in his hand, and he smiled weakly. "So you figured out about his father, right, as so far?"

"Does he know about Shisui?" asked Kakashi.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I'm not sure. He doesn't talk about him, if he does. And I doubt he knows the version that we know: that he was killed by Itachi. Shikaru, he… he was told a lot of lies by his mother."

"Stop there," ordered Kakashi, holding up his hand. "I want to know these two things right now, before we go any further with this story: I want to know of his name, his real name; and then I want to know the name of the mother."

Shikamaru sighed. "His real name… Christ, I hardly know it." Shikamaru closed his eyes. "He knows it, but I know he legally had his name changed to Shikaru. As far as I know, Shisui named him at his birth. She, the mother, she agreed with the name. It was after a hero of Konohagakure, one who sacrificed himself to save his teammates… he even gave his eye to one of them." Kakashi's blood ran cold. "Shisui had always had a deep respect for this guy, from what I know. I think he mentioned something about the two of them being brothers…"

"B-Brothers?" stuttered Kakashi, shocked. "Shisui was brothers with Uchiha _Obito?_"

Shikamaru's eyes opened. "Yes. You know Uchiha Obito?"

Kakashi looked down at his legs. "Uchiha Obito was my teammate," he replied, trying to remain calm. "He died, and this Sharigan eye… it was his. I lost my eye, and he had our teammate surgically implant this one. I had never thought that Obito might… that he would have a brother." Kakashi frowned under his mask. "He never mentioned one, at the least… and Shisui never mentioned to me about having any relation to him when he was alive…"

"Shisui would have been about three or so, at the time of Obito's death," calculated Shikamaru quickly. "I doubt his parents told him about you, nor about what happened to Obito. It was probably too much emotional stress for them, to talk about the boy through whom their son lived through. But Shisui was not an idiot; he figured it out for himself.

"Well, anyways, about four years before the Uchiha massacre, Obito—now known as Shikaru—was born. He was born on Nara grounds, because his mother was my mother's sister."

"So he's really a Nara?" asked Kakashi, confused.

"No," said Naruto, taking over for Shikamaru. "No, Shikamaru's mother is not really from the Nara clan by birth. Nara Yoshino was actually a member of the Senju clan, but she married in. She was the older of the two sisters, Shikaru's mother being pretty much double her age, in comparison. Senju Amai was her name, the name of the mother." Kakashi's mouth gaped behind the mask. _A Senju… and an Uchiha… I didn't even think that even two of them could get along… to find out that they were in love…_

"My aunt Amai was a kind person in her youth," said Shikamaru with a small smile. "She would always smile at anyone she passed. She never got angry with anyone. And she deeply cared about family, but she loved Shisui even more than she loved us. When she got pregnant, Amai… she glowed." His smile grew at the thought of his aunt. "I thought that she was made for that kind of life: to raise children, to be married to a man like Shisui. They were even engaged, I think, but they decided to postpone the marriage when Shikaru was born. I think she said, 'I don't want a screaming baby at my wedding… and I especially don't want to have to pop out of my kimono halfway through the ceremony to feed him in front of so many people; it'll be mortifying'."

"What happened?" asked Kakashi, knowing what was coming and wishing he hadn't let his curiosities get the best of him. Just this once, he wished that he didn't wonder. Because he didn't want to hear this, he didn't want to know how truly fucked this kid's life was. He didn't want to know how Shikaru's family was torn apart.

"Three years pass, and they live rather happily. They live off of the Uchiha compound, together in a small apartment. And then, a couple of weeks before Shikaru's fourth birthday, news gets out that Shisui has committed suicide," said Shikamaru, his smile gone. "It destroyed Amai. For weeks, she stayed in that home, not allowing Shikaru to go out. And then she suddenly packed them up and moved them to the Land of Earth.

"Now, what I'm going to tell you is stuff from her mind before she died—medical nin were briefly able to revive her to look into her memories, keeping her alive long enough for them to look through it. And, it was pretty bad stuff…" Shikamaru took a breath before continuing. "Amai received a private note, discretely carved onto the surface of Shisui's sword. Only she had identified it at the time. She read that there was not only a conspiracy within the Uchiha clan, but beyond that, the village was going to get rid of the clan; and the only way for Shikaru to survive the slaughter would be for him to leave the Land of Fire.

"And she did, armed with Shisui's sword and Shikaru with only their closest belongings. They ditched the rest on the road, pawning off each item for money whenever needed. They in a small, dirty, crap apartment in one of the worst districts of the Land of Earth: the exact place one would not look for a member of a clan such as the Senju.

"It was there she drafted the plan." Shikamaru swallowed, now trying to hold back her anger. "You see, Amai was never a very good ninja—she was always a medical ninja, but her value was underappreciated due to her own self-confidence. She had thought that any child she might have would be below the underdogs in the shinobi world… but she had thought wrong. Shikaru was born with an incredibly high chakra level, at the same level of Shisui's. When he was two, he activated the Sharigan in the middle of their living room, while his parents were playing Go. But the most amazing part, for Amai particularly, was activation of the Rinnegan at age three, when he had wanted some dango from the top shelf of the fridge.

"Amai decided to use her son to exact her revenge upon Konohagakure. She wanted to kill _everyone _involved with the conspiracy against the Uchiha, her late love's clan. Every clan leader, every village elder, every ANBU operative: all of them. And at only four years old, she felt that manipulating her son to do what she wanted would be easy.

"But it wasn't. Shikaru had the stubbornness of his father before him. He would not succumb; wouldn't kill. He refused. So Amai did something that no one in their right mind should ever do." He paused, swallowing. "She gave him another personality."

Kakashi stared. "Another… personality?"

He nodded. "Yes. Surgically, it's possible. She used chakra and forced it into a center of his brain that controls his emotions and altered his personality complex. She created a murderous boy, an unquenchable thirst for blood. The only way to activate this personality was to make Shikaru angry, and the only way to have done that was…"

"Threaten his precious people."

"Exactly. For years, Amai put herself into dangerous, potentially deadly situations with many people she considered to be her enemies, and the result was always the same. Vicious murder, completely heartless on the part of Amai; but emotionally shattering for Shikaru."

"What?"

Naruto sighed and rubbed his head. "Dattebayo," he grumbled, thinking about the words to say. "Basically… when Shikaru becomes that person, his usual thoughts, beliefs, emotions; they all get pushed out the window and shut out. He doesn't remember what happened, what he did… but he sees it effects later. And it always destroys him to see it, to know that this was something that he's done.

"It's one of the reasons why that when the Hokage found out about his location and sent Nara Shikaku to retrieve him, Shikaru readily agreed on three conditions: one, he would be legally absolved, in a sense, of all his past deeds and given a new life. That meant that everything he did as Senju Obito was gone, obliterated; and replaced with Nara Shikaru. Two, he would be taught emotional control, in order to keep the other personality from shining through and taking over. And three, before all else: his last act as Senju Obito would be that he would murder Amai, his mother."

Kakashi was awestruck. "Why would he…"

"Shikaru's not an idiot. He loved her, but he could plainly see that she was a threat to the world, with what she was doing. Especially with him as a pawn," said Shikamaru, crossing his arms. "He didn't do it because he wanted to; he did it because he needed to. The village was only willing to allow Shikaru entrance back into the village, being that he was so young at the time. Amai was going to be hung. Publicly. But Shikaru had mercy on her. He waited until she was asleep, and then he smothered her."

Kakashi stared at the two. "And he…"

"He hates himself for it. He swore from that point on to push away all people from him, to prevent someone from being able to control him like that again. But it didn't work," sighed Shikamaru, "Because Hyūga Hanabi came along and fucked up _everything _he'd tried so hard to do. She made him care about people, about her. She doesn't know it, but… he loves her. Hell, when Naruto accidentally hit her too hard their first day training… Shikaru went ballistic. He really did try to kill Naruto, but fortunately he's a hard guy to kill."

"So… Hanabi's…" Kakashi didn't need to finish. Shikamaru nodded, instantly understanding him.

"The only one who can cause that type of reaction, or at least that grade of reaction. It's only Hanabi that he would literally murder for in order to protect her. It's only for her that he'll willingly leave behind Nara Shikaru and become Senju Obito, the Bloodied-Eyed Demon of the Earth."

* * *

Kabuto crossed his arms, his grin widening with every word that the three spoke. He stood outside of the records room, on the ledge. His arms were crossed, and his eyes closed. He simply listened. Just listened. His hearing had been heightened due to experimentation that he had done on his own body, experiments that made him more snake-like than Orochimaru had been.

"So, Senju Obito," said Kabuto, letting his eyes open, staring up at the moon. He licked his lips, just like Orochimaru had. "How do I make that one come out and play with me?" He cocked his head to the side, not bothering to offer his companion more than that. "What do you think yourself, 'Madara'?"

The masked man, 'Tobi', who also went by 'Madara'; seemed to be lost in thought, quiet for a minute. Due to the fact that he only had one hole in the mask, and that his eye was quite invisible; Kabuto couldn't see any emotions in his eyes, any thoughts that were running through it. Kabuto knew he shouldn't trust him—after all, he was supposed to be a dead man—but he had no choice. Kabuto needed the Akatsuki for his plans, and 'Madara' had taken over the organization a while ago by taking out their leader, Pain. Like it or not, 'Madara' was his ally.

For now, he figured, until one of them decided the other was no longer necessary.

"So, we take the four of them," said 'Madara' simply. "The Hyūga girl, the avenging Uchiha, the jinchuuriki Uzumaki, and this… new Uchiha boy. This… Shikaru." Kabuto nodded, smiling evilly, thinking nothing of the way 'Madara' had referred to Shikaru. Softly, slightly affectionately. Like… how an uncle would address their nephew. 'Madara' didn't bother saying good-bye, instead turning on his heel and walking away before jumping off of the building, into the trees. It was there he sat down and shakily removed his mask, allowing his face to touch the fresh air for the first time in years.

"My brother, what did they do to you?" he wondered aloud, letting his hand run through his hair. He'd known that Shisui had not lived after the Uchiha massacre, but he hadn't known the details of his death. He hadn't known that his young brother had been… killed. _But he has a son. _If he still had the ability to be happy, he would've been happy about that. He would've smiled at the knowledge that his younger brother had named his only son in his memory. But what brought him light right now was that he had the means to manipulate the boy; to make him do what he needed for his goals.

After all, what boy could deny his uncle and only living close family member what he wanted?


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Of Love

**Holy crap, that was one long chapter to write. But there was so much I had to put into this damned thing! I would've had it up yesterday- and almost did- but then I was like, "Oh, shit, how am I going to execute this damned plot?'. And then the idea came, and so I went back an edited this chapter. Lemon's coming soon, but not this chapter; just fluff. So sorry. **

**To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: Thanks for calling this little fic brilliant. I like to know that someone appreciates it so much... I'm really just some kid with no social life to speak of and probably TOO much of an overactive imagination... **

**Umm... if it stops making no sense in this chapter, just tell me. I'll explain what my crazy mind was trying to get at. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. (I ran out of witty ways to say this).**

"Sakura." The Haruno's blood ran cold at the sound of Kabuto's slimy, snake-like voice. She forced a smile and turned around, visibly fearful of the shinobi's sheer power. Kabuto wasted no time. "My associates and I have decided that we need to speed up with our plan. I need the Hyūga now, Sakura."

"Give me time, Kabuto-san. I still have Neji as a pawn. It'll be done."

"You don't have time, Sakura. You're unaware of the fact that the Hyūga heiress is not the only one we need."

Her heart kicked up. "Not Kankurō, right?" she asked, voice wobbly.

"No. Not your precious puppet-boy," sneered Kabuto angrily. "No, what I require… it's none of your business, actually. Just hurry up; I need Hinata."

"Who else do you need? I can help!" she offered quickly.

Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "They are your comrades, and you're so willing to help me take them from you?" he asked. She nodded, and Kabuto smirked. _The idea of love makes girls do stupid shit, apparently, _he thought, looking down at the hate-filled pink-haired girl. Her 'love' had corrupted her ideologies completely. She was like clay now: easy to manipulate. He knew he'd picked his pawns right. "Well, if you must know… I need that Nara brat, Shikaru; for one. Can you get me him?"

"Easily," said Sakura, with a careless shrug. _Her hatred is completely taking her over. _ "He's been spending his days fawning over that little bitch of a sister Hinata's got. If I just threaten her existence, he'll be more than willing to leave the village and go to you. Who else do you need?"

"Your teammates. Uzumaki and Uchiha."

She hesitated. "I can do it," she said slowly, "I know how to get under their skins; how to force them away. Anything that's important to Sasuke is important to Naruto; and vice-versa. They're very close, and it makes them both incredibly easy to manipulate." She smiled evilly now. "I know exactly what to do to them, Kabuto. They will be yours in a matter of hours." Kabuto smiled to himself.

She was a good pawn.

It was a pity that once this was all done, she'd be dead.

* * *

Hinata woke up to the sound of low, masculine-sounding humming, the gentlest melody being made with the man's voice. She recognized the melody; somewhere in the back of her head she knew it. She couldn't place it, but she knew it. She turned on her side, moving carefully as to avoid making herself uncomfortable by tugging the blood pressure strap and making it press against her body uncomfortably. Her free hand drifted to the mattress, pressing against the scratchy sheet.

"Hinata-chan, are you awake?" came a soft voice, reaching out to touch her hand.

She nodded, not ready to open her eyes. "Yes, Kō-sama," she responded, rubbing her cheek against the rough pillow. "Keep humming, please. I liked the melody."

Anybody else but Kō would've asked her why. But Kō found no compulsion to; he simply continued to hum. She sighed contently, curling her legs into her chest, listening to the hum that Kō gave to her; listening until the song apparently ended. "Your mother taught me that hum, back when I was young," Kō said, rubbing her hand with his thumb. "She used to use that song to lead me to sleep. She told me, before she died, that she used that song to get you to wake up when you were about three."

Hinata smiled softly. "She was a good woman, wasn't she?" she asked.

"Yes, a very good woman. You're just like her, except that you got your father's stubbornness. She was a lot more patient than you." Kō raised her hand to his lips, kissing the heiress's knuckles softly.

"Do you miss her sometimes, Kō?" she asked, her brow creasing. "What am I asking? Of course you miss her. She was your sister."

Kō's eyebrows shot up. "You knew about it?" he asked, surprised that she'd never said anything before that moment. He always thought that both sisters saw him as simply a bodyguard. He had no idea that either one would know the truth about their relationship.

"Of course. Otousan told me, saying as heiress I should know about all of the family and their relations to me," she said, letting one eye open to watch him. "Besides, one of my first memories is that of Hizashi-ojisan telling me and Neji how you tried to beat the crap out of Otousan after you found out that they were dating, and how he'd had to come in and save my Otousan before you killed him." Kō blushed and looked away. He'd been fifteen at the time, and he was protective over his sister. He thought that Hiashi hadn't been someone his sister should be with, especially someone she should give her innocence to.

"I think that was the reason he assigned me to protect you," said Kō sheepishly, still blushing. He was just glad that he hadn't been sentenced to death for harming the heir of the clan. Glad that at the time, Hiashi hadn't believed in such a thing as retribution. "Though, obviously, I haven't done such a good job…"

"Stop. I'm a shinobi, Kō-sama. I'm bound to end up in medical care, and I don't doubt that I'll be in the hospital many more times after this one," said Hinata, grabbing his hand in hers and squeezing tightly. She smiled at him. "I just hope that it won't be very soon."

"Yeah, me either," came a voice from the door way. She turned around, curious about her visitor, and then smiled. Kankurō stood there, arms crossed over his chest. He smiled at her and slowly walked into the room. Kō coughed awkwardly and took his hand out of her grip and walking out of the room, nodding respectfully at Kankurō before leaving. Kankurō returned it with a smile and a pat on Kō's back, which made Hinata's heart soar. He walked over to her and leaned over the bed, pressing a chaste kiss against Hinata's lips. "God, I've wanted to do that for days."

She giggled. "So why haven't you?"

"You needed to sleep. So I let you sleep," he said simply, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He tapped her thigh. "Move over." She rolled her eyes at his lack of grace and shuffled over a little. He pulled her into him, so that her back pressed against his chest. He kissed her shoulder and rubbed her thigh. "Have you ever been told that you look so sexy in hospital clothing?"

She giggled again, this time breathlessly. "You're horny."

"Is it a crime?" he murmured, pushing the shirt off of her shoulder so he could kiss her bare skin. "But it's more than that, I think. I really missed your reactions. Besides, I've been spending my days just running around the hospital, so… this is probably the first moment that I've had to lay down and not fret over someone's condition." His hand drifted down to her waist, pushing up the hospital shirt. Her breath caught. He kissed her neck. "I'm not looking for anything. I just want to be close to you for now."

She relaxed. "How's Neji-niisan doing?"

He kissed her earlobe. "Neji's got a horridly broken leg and a shattered jaw, thought the jaw is my fault. His internal organs are also badly injured. And… well, he's refusing to speak, kind of." He stopped kissing her, growing more serious now. "The genjutsu he was under, it made his body work according to what the user wanted. But he was still there, and I think he remembers everything. He keeps muttering about harming Hanabi."

Hinata turned over, eyes wide with fear. "What happened to Hanabi?" she asked, terrified over the prospect of Hanabi being harmed.

Kankurō sighed, letting her turn in his arms. "Hanabi… she's got damage to her heart and lung muscle, along with some of the muscle in her right leg. But she's getting better, I swear it. She woke up yesterday, talked for an entire half-hour before she went to sleep again. She's going to be discharged tomorrow, according to her doctors. She just has to take it easy for the next month or so, not push herself to hard."

Hinata choked back a sob. "How did that happen to her?"

"Kakashi told me that when Neji attacked you, she attacked Neji. They fought, and she seemed to hold her own for a long while until Neji got through her defenses. She didn't go down without a fight; that was for damned sure." Kankurō rubbed her cheeks, wiping the dripping tears off of her cheeks. "And Ino is sure as hell thankful to you."

"Ino?"

"Yes, she was in the hospital, too. She got discharged this morning. She had been with Neji before he was placed under a genjutsu. Her memory is all out of whack now. She complains that she has all these fragments of memory that make no sense, because they're out of context. She's sorting through them; because she has the feeling they have something to do with Neji's attack." Kankurō kissed her cheeks. "You saved her, you know that? If you hadn't done what you did, Ino would be dead, and we wouldn't have even the slightest possibility of figuring out who attacked Neji."

"Neji doesn't know?"

"Neji can't speak coherently." He pulled away, his dark brown eyes staring into her lavender ones. "I can ask a doctor if they'd allow you to come and see him, if you'd like. I don't think it would be such a problem, seeing as how you haven't passed out yet."

She nodded. "Please do. I'm worried about him." Kankurō nodded and kissed her again, his lips slightly salty and wet. She loved the feeling of them, and she was saddened when he pulled away once again. He smiled at her and kissed her again, a quick peck. "Everything's alright. Know that." She nodded, giving a small smile that he knew to be fake.

* * *

Neji wrapped his arms around himself, sorting through the memories in his head. Those flashes in which everything he'd done was on display. He choked back a sob as he watched himself injure Hanabi again. As he watched himself spill the blood of his friends. He felt mentally violated, taken over by this violent force he'd had not the strength to stop. He bit at his fingernails again, not noticing that he had no nail left to chew and instead biting into skin, drawing blood. It dripped onto the sheets, forming a small puddle over his lap. The pain didn't register, compared to the anguish he felt from his memories.

_I hurt Hanabi. I hurt Hanabi. I tried to kill Hanabi. I tried to kill my little cousin, the little sister I've never had..._

"Neji?" said Tenten softly, reaching out and touching the Hyūga male's shoulder. His gray eyes touched her face for a millisecond before darting away. He flinched, jerking his shoulder away from her touch.

"Don't touch me. I hurt you. Don't touch me. I'm a threat," he mumbled, his eyes darting around the room, as if something would jump out and kill him at any second. Tenten sighed and leaned back into the chair, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly. She couldn't make him see that she wasn't afraid of him, that he wasn't a threat. She couldn't make him understand that no one thought of him any differently or that no one was going to put him on trial for what he'd done. _Everyone knows it wasn't you who did those things, _she'd tried, only to be met by denial and vigorous head shaking.

It hurt her to see him like this. It hurt to see her Neji in so much pain over something he'd never intentionally done; something that absolutely no one blamed her for. And it pissed her off to know that whoever had done it was walking around, probably taunting her behind her back. Laughing at her tiredness, at her exhaustion, at her pain.

_Whoever did this to him, I'm going to kill them, slowly, _she thought, grinding her jaw. Yamanaka Inoichi, Ino's dad, had recognized the genjutsu used on Neji as something used for master assassins who refused missions. He also told her that about ninety percent of people whom this jutsu was used on ended up committing suicide due to the pursuant memories. Her grip around her legs tightened. _God, I hope that Neji won't even think about it! _Tenten wished, biting her lip.

"Neji-koi," she whispered, looking up at him. "Neji-koi, it's me. It's Tenten. Are you listening to me?" He didn't acknowledge her, continuing to attack his fingers. She sighed and sat up, reaching out and taking his fingers out of his mouth, gripping them tightly. He flinched and tried to jerk away, but she kept her hold. "Neji-koi, if you love me, you'll stop it. You'll stop doing this to yourself. Stop beating yourself up for this."

"Beating up. Beating up. I… beat you up. Tried to kill you. Tried to kill Hanabi. Tried to kill. Kill. Blood." _Shit, I'm getting nowhere! _Tenten thought with a groan, sitting back in her chair, crossing her arms. Neji whimpered, grabbing at his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Make it go away," he sobbed, and her heart twinged. He was so hurt, so beyond physical pain; and she couldn't comprehend it. "Make it go away. Make it all go away."

"I'm trying, but you have to let me in," she whispered, her bottom lip quivering as she held back her tears. Neji hit his forehead with the heel of his palm, making a thudding sound that made Tenten's head hurt in sympathy. "Neji, please stop. I'm begging you, stop."

"Please make it stop," he begged, biting down on his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, going clear through. She cried out and jumped on him, hugging him hard. He shook under her, and she was terrified. "I keep trying and trying to make it all go away, and I can't do it. I hurt her. I hurt people. I hurt my precious ones. The ones I want to protect. I couldn't stop myself. I can't stop now. I can't stop it."

Tenten kissed his forehead. "Yes, you can. Just try."

"I can't do it," he mumbled, pressing his head against her shoulder and holding her tight. "Blood. Hanabi. I hurt Hanabi. I hurt you. God, I hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you." Tenten knew he shouldn't be talking so much, considering his jaw was only healed as much as they could before Neji had fought against him; but she needed him to respond to assure herself that there was a possibility that he might be okay. "It hurts, Tenten… it hurts to see this, again and again and again…"

"Miss, you shouldn't touch him!" cried a doctor, running into the room and pulling Tenten off of him. He yelled out, grabbing at her but missing. The doctor rubbed down the shocked weapons master down, making sure she wasn't hurt. Her shock quickly turned into anger, and she hit the doctor upside the head. He looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Don't you ever do that again!" she yelled at him, her hands in the air as she screamed. "Don't you _ever_ pull me off of my emotionally and mentally shattered boyfriend ever again, you little _asshole_! Can't you see that he needs to be consoled right now, not pushed away! Fuck, you're such a dumbass! Get the hell out of my sight before I beat the crap out of you!" The doctor shriveled and backed away from the screaming girl, afraid of her fury. She turned to Neji, who returned to his nail biting.

She sighed. _Back to square one, I guess…_

* * *

Kankurō bumped against the doctor in the hall as he ran out of the room, and he sighed. "Shit, what did they do now?" he asked, shaking his head as he walked into the room, leaning against the doorframe. Tenten looked like she hadn't slept in about five days, which was probably the case. Her usual buns were undone, leaving her hair to fall in thick waves down to her shoulder blades. Her brown eyes left Neji's face to look up at the puppet master.

"Hey," she whispered, too tired to think of any sort of angry comment to point his way. Kankurō nodded at her and walked over to Neji, who sat up in the bed biting his fingers, drawing blood. He walked over to the cabinet on the other side of the room, pulling out bandages. He then sat down on the edge of Neji's bed, yanking his hand out of his mouth and wrapping up his fingers. He placed a roll of bandages onto Neji's lap, which Tenten picked up and began to do the same. The two worked in tired, terse silence; fully aware of Neji's depraved state and knowing only time would tell if he would get any better.

"Hinata woke up," he said simply, continuing to wrap.

"That's nice," she said emptily, not truly caring at this juncture. Kankurō knew that she loved Hinata like a little sister, but at this point; the love of her life was so hurt. He understood why she didn't seem to give a shit.

"She wants to see him. I offered, like a moron. I don't think she understands how… not together he is right now," said Kankurō.

"It's probably not a good idea that she sees him. It hurts him enough to see me, or even you. And he hates you."

Kankurō sighed. "I know."

Tenten sighed as well. "Bring her here, then. I know you're going to. But… try to keep her calm. I don't want any commotions in here. It makes Neji go berserk. He can't handle any problems right now, at least not in a rational way." She finished wrapping and pushed Neji's hair back, off of his face, and kissed his sweaty, clammy forehead. "You know, when we were at the bar the other night, he got incredibly tipsy. I don't think you've ever seen Neji tipsy before. Well, he gets all talkative. Less about that fate crap and more human stuff. He was talking to me, and then he yells at me, 'You know, Tenten… I'm probably not gonna remember this later, so I'm just gonna say it. I wanna marry you someday. I'm even got a ring. So lets get married!'

"I thought he was just being ridiculous, so I slap him and bring him home to lie down, to sleep off the drunkenness. And then the next day, we met up to go train with all of you. And then he tells me, right in the middle of the square, "Tenten, I remember exactly what I said to you last night. And I just want you to know… I wasn't kidding you. I want to marry you. I love you. So, marry me?' And then I sobbed like a baby." She gave a small, tired smile. "I was crying, and Hinata was trying to calm me down, and Neji was just blushing. And right when I think I'm calm, he pulls out this ring. This beautiful ring, all for me. And then the waterworks started up again, except this time Hinata joined me." She reached for her neck and pulled off a necklace, hanging on which was a beautiful diamond ring.

"It's pretty," he mused. He knew it was a little bit of an understatement. He knew that ring was something he would give to Hinata, had it not come in that rose color that Neji must automatically associate with Tenten. It made sense, after all: she wore many rose colors. Tenten smirked, knowing that Kankurō knew that his words were the understatement of the century.

"I think it's downright fucking gorgeous. But my reaction was stupid. I grabbed the ring out of his fingers and ran off, blubbering like a five year old. I was scared. The ring made it all so real. I knew I loved him, but I didn't think he could love someone like me. I didn't want him to second-think it, but like a retard I didn't give him my answer. And I figured, 'He doesn't need an answer now. I can just give it to him later.' And then everything happened, and he doesn't know…" She began to cry now, her sobs wracking her body. "He doesn't know that my answer is yes. He doesn't know that's how much I trust him; that's how much I believe that what ever it was controlling him wasn't him."

Kankurō put a hand onto her leg. "Tenten, I'm sure he knows what you would've said, otherwise he wouldn't have made it seem so casual back when we were meeting up."

"You don't know for sure," she sobbed, biting on her lip to hold back the tears. "I… I don't know for sure." She pushed some of Neji's loose hair back behind his ear, wiping at her face hard with her thumb pad. "Kankurō, is this the way you feel about Hinata? So protective, yet feeling so useless at the same time?" Kankurō had figured she'd figure out that they were back together, and he knew that she must know Hinata's feelings for him. He nodded numbly. "That's the way she feels about you. And that's the way I feel about Neji." Her voice hardened. "I'm gonna kill the sonovabitch who did this to him, you know."

Kankurō nodded, standing up. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Tenten. I'm gonna go get a doctor so they can help me figure out if Hinata can come over here without bringing the entire bed with her." He tapped her shoulder, drawing her attention back to his face. "Tenten. Everything's gonna be alright. Neji's strong, stronger than most. He's gonna pull out of this."

Tenten nodded, not feeling really assured; but glad that he made the effort to do so. Kankurō smiled reassuringly at her before placing a hand softly onto Neji's shoulder, letting him know that even he was there for him. He left the room, hands stuffed once again into his pockets. _Things are just going down shit creek, aren't they? _Kankurō thought as he spotted Sakura coming down the hall.

He waved at her. "Hey, Sakura, can I ask a question?"

She smiled at him. "Sure!" _She's so nice to me, nicer than I sometimes think she should be. Sometimes, it makes me slightly uncomfortable…_ Kankurō knew, for a while now, that she had a crush on him; but he didn't actually know how large of a crush it was. He simply thought that it was just little, because she still flirted with Sasuke. "What do you need, Kankurō-sama?"

"Hinata wants to visit Neji. I wanted to know if it would be possible to do so today." He smirked. "I know she's still under medical care, so that's why I asked you. Do you think that even for just twenty minutes or so, Hinata could leave her room and check up on Neji's condition? She's so worried about him."

Sakura pretended to think about it, but reality was that she was freaking out at the prospect of Hinata going anywhere near Neji. She worried that he might tell her what happened. His mind might be scrambled, but if anyone could help him, it was her.

And she couldn't have that; it'd give her away.

"How about this!" said Sakura with a smile, "I'll double-check on Neji's condition, and then I'll let you know if it's safe to bring Hinata-chan in there. If she's still awake, then she should be able to walk just fine, as long as someone accompanies her. Is that good for you, Kankurō-sama?"

Kankurō smiled at her. "Yes, that should work. I'll let Tenten know!"

Sakura grabbed onto his arm as he turned to go back to Neji's room. She forced a large smile. "No, as one of Neji's doctors, I'll do it," she said, forcing a happy voice. Her Inner Sakura was screaming, ranting; all too emotional about this entire event. Mostly about how the plan was hanging precariously but somewhat about how big Kankurō's bicep was. She wanted to give it a squeeze, but that would draw questions.

He nodded his thanks, walking off in the other direction. She knew that he was slightly more than distracted at the moment. She shrugged and moved towards Neji's room, knocking on the door. Tenten's head snapped up from Neji's hands, and she smiled tiredly at Sakura. "Hi, Sakura-chan," she whispered. Neji stiffened, and Sakura had to withhold a grin. _Good, he knows. _

"Tenten, I'd like to analyze Neji once more. Kankurō told me that Hinata wants to see him, so I'd like to make sure that Neji won't do anything to harm her," said Sakura, walking over and picking up Neji's chart. Tenten nodded, slipping off of the bed and into the chair. Sakura looked up at her friend. "No, no. I need you to leave the room."

Tenten frowned. "But you haven't before…"

"I need to check for weaponry in all areas. All areas would include… well, in layman's terms… his ass. I need to check his ass," said Sakura, holding back her growing grin. She didn't, really; because Neji wouldn't know how to hold even pencil at this point, much less a weapon. She just needed to speak with the Hyūga alone.

Tenten nodded dumbly, too exhausted to read into her words. She stood up and kissed Neji's cheek. He grabbed her hand and whimpered, turning slightly to look at her. "Don't go..." Tenten looked up at Sakura, eyes wide. Sakura smiled reassuringly and moved to the side, telling her to leave without words. Tenten frowned and kissed the edge of Neji's lips again. "Tenten… _please… _don't leave me alone…"

"She has to go, Neji. I need to check for weapons," said Sakura in a sickly sweet voice that she knew was freaking the shit out of Neji with. She was doing it intentionally, to let him know that something bad was coming his way. Tenten smiled reassuringly at him and kissed his lips again, whispering that she would be right outside if he needed her. Neji and Sakura both watched as she left, closing the door behind herself. Sakura's fake smile slipped, and she looked at the Hyūga with hatred.

Neji began to shake.

"You haven't told her, have you?"

"I… I can't!" complained Neji, thinking about the pain Sakura threatened him with before he'd gained control of his body; the pain he so feared. "Why are you doing this, Sakura? I… Hanabi… why did you make me hurt our friends, Sakura?" He rubbed at his head. "Why are you forcing me to remember it all? I want it _out_!"

"Stop simpering," snapped Sakura, making a tiger seal and causing Neji's head to flare with pain, further scattering his thoughts. "You're my toy, Neji, until you kill yourself. And, trust me, you'll kill yourself. They all do." Sakura didn't pity the man in front of her, the person she'd grown up with. Her friend's boyfriend, an actual friend. She didn't consider what she was doing to him was, on so many levels, incredibly wrong. She considered it to be a gateway to getting what she wanted, and she was just one of those selfish enough to do it. "Now, Hinata's gonna come into this room. And you're not going to tell her a thing about _me_. You're gonna mumble incoherently and not make eye contact with her. Am I understood?"

Neji nodded, just wanting the headache to stop. _I have to… warn Hinata… but how am I… how can I…_

Sakura smiled again and turned on her heel, preparing to go. "Oh, Neji? I forgot to tell you to do something for me," she said. "Be sure to tell Hinata, and _only_ Hinata; that if she, Sasuke, Naruto, and that Shikaru kid don't leave the village by tomorrow night… my partners will massacre the entire Hyūga clan, and we'll be sure to make you watch the entire thing."

* * *

"Neji-niisan!" cried out Hinata, running from Kankurō's side and hugging the Hyūga prodigy type; ignorant to his wince of pain. Tenten wiped at her tears and walked over to her friend, gently prying her off of Neji. Hinata blushed deeply, pushing her index fingers together. "I'm sorry. I'm just happy he's okay."

Tenten rubbed her shoulders. "I know, I know. I should be thankful that Naruto managed to stop Nara-san from killing him. But… I… well, you can see it," said Tenten sadly, gesturing to the man. Hands wrapped tightly around himself, mumbling under his breath, eyes unfocused and wild. She let go of her to once again push his sweaty hair out of his face. "Ino's dad said that there's a high chance he might end up killing himself."

Hinata gasped. "But, um… why would he…?"

"He wasn't in control of his body, but he was awake," whispered Tenten, "And he hurt those he cared about, Hinata. That would damage anyone." She kissed the Hyūga's sweaty cheek. "But I know my Neji-koi. He was just talking to me half-an-hour ago. He recognized me, and while he was just scared… he didn't mutter incoherently. Ino's dad said that that's a step in the right direction."

Kankurō wrapped his arms around Hinata from behind, putting his chin onto the top of her head. "So he'll pull through, right?" he asked for his stunned girlfriend.

"God, I hope so," said Tenten with a tired smile. "Because he's got a wedding to attend. He's got a girlfriend to get married to. He has a girlfriend that will beat the shit out of him if he doesn't come." She kissed his temple, but he didn't seem to notice. He simply kept muttering to himself, muttering how much of a monster he was. Tenten looked up at Hinata. "Try talking to him, Hinata-chan. Maybe he'll hear you."

Hinata nodded, pulling herself out of Kankurō's arms and moving forward, taking slow, careful steps towards her cousin, slipping onto the bed as Tenten slipped off. She put a hand onto Neji's, leaning in close to his face. "Neji-niisan?" Neji's eyes found hers.

"Why are you here? Why are you near me? I hurt you, I hurt you," muttered Neji. "I'm a monster; get away. I tried to kill Hanabi. I hurt you. I hurt you. I spilled blood…"

"Neji, stop," she said in a soft, authoritative voice. When he didn't, she activated her Byakugan, deciding to take a look at his head to see what was exactly wrong. "The chakra networking in his head has been rewired," she said softly in shock. "It's been wired so that whoever was controlling his body has the ability to do it again, and cause him pain should he regain some control over himself. It's also meant to… to constantly remind him exactly what happened." She touched Neji's temple softly, unaware that she was crying for him. "He's also not getting sufficient blood flow to his head. Probably caused by the person who did this."

"Can you do anything?" asked Tenten, her voice choked with a sob.

"I could do something, but I'd probably end up killing him," said Hinata, her voice breaking. "I'd have to shock his system with chakra. Send a jolt directly to the brain from the temple. But the only one with that fine of a chakra control would be Neji, and it's not something I can measure out for him. It's an intuitive thing. Anybody else would end up making his brain explode. Tenten, I'm so sorry." She knew she was crying; knew Tenten was crying. "I really want to help, I want to make it stop, but I can't!"

"Hina-chan," said Kankurō, going over to her and wrapping his arms tightly around her tiny body, kissing her cheeks. "Hina-chan, stop it. Stop it. We can find some other way. At least now we can tell doctors exactly what's wrong. Maybe there's another person who can do it… don't you dare give up on him." He pressed his lips to hers, trying to calm her down. "Neji will be fine. Everything will be fine."

"No, it won't."

All three heads snapped over to Neji, surprised he'd spoken loud and clearly. "N-Neji…?" asked Tenten, confused.

Neji reached out and grabbed Hinata by the arm, roughly yanking her over to him. She yelped out and caught herself by putting her hand onto Neji's pillow. His chapped lips brushed against her ear as he whispered urgently. "Someone's after you. There's a mole in the village. I can't tell you who until I fix my head; but you need to get out of the village. You, that Nara kid, Shikamaru's cousin; Sasuke and Naruto. You all need to go, or the Hyūga clan will be obliterated by tomorrow night. Please, Hinata. You need to go." He kept his grip tight, fighting against the pulling Kankurō. "I will keep the clan safe, and I will keep you safe. Just don't trust…" He gasped, a new wave of headache obviously hitting him. "Don't trust the doctor. Don't trust a doctor. Do you hear me? Please tell me…" She nodded, and Neji sighed, his grip slacking on her. "I love you, Hinata-imouto. I will stop whatever it is that's happening. I swear it to you!" He finally let go of her, and Kankurō pulled her back.

"Are you okay? What did he do?" asked Kankurō, rubbing his love down.

"I'm fine. He just told me…" She gulped, knowing she needed to lie to him. She didn't want him to know what had to happen. She didn't want him to know how tight Kabuto's hold was on Neji. She didn't want him to know that she was being forced to leave, to willingly go to Kabuto's arms. She had the feeling it was simply a ploy; but she couldn't take the risk. Not with the lives of her family at risk. _Specifically, Hanabi_, she realized. After all, Hanabi was Shikaru's closest teammate, and Naruto's student. And she knew that sometimes Sasuke helped out with Naruto's little squad, asked personally by Hiashi to help with Hanabi's ninjutsu development. And she was, of course, her little sister; and the next inheritor of the clan in the case of Hinata's death before she was able to have children. "He kept telling me about how he hurt Hanabi. And how sorry he is for doing it."

"Hinata, I'm so sorry," gushed Tenten, wrapping the girl into her arms. "He's never been so violent…"

"Its fine," muttered Hinata, waving off Tenten's concern. She glanced back at Neji, who crossed his arms again and kept muttering. _Don't you dare to stop fighting, Neji-niisan. Don't you even think about it for a second! And don't do anything stupid just to protect me!_

* * *

Neji stared at the bloodied sheet, thinking about what Hinata had said. _A rush of chakra to the head, huh? I guess it's worth a shot._ He brought his fingertips to his forehead, pressing his index and middle finger against his temple. He looked over at Tenten, who still talked to Hinata to reassure her.

His father had told him that it was his life purpose to protect Hinata. As a child, he hadn't realized the meaning of his father's words, but here, now? He understood completely. It meant that if it came down to it, his life would take the place of Hinata's in hell, or heaven, or whatever happened to people after they died. It meant that while he had emotions and needs of his own, like his need to be with Tenten; her life would always mean more.

Neji at thirteen would've minded.

But Neji at seventeen didn't. His beautiful cousin deserved to live. She deserved to be happy with her life. And while he loved Tenten—God, did he love Tenten—it was his duty to lay down his own wants and needs for the good of Hinata.

And if it meant probably killing himself…

_God, I just hope I'll live, _he thought, preparing his chakra and closing his eyes. _Because if I don't, Tenten will beat the shit out of me. _Though apprehensive, he felt a sort of thrill to this moment. The same thrill he felt when he showed Tenten that ring. Freedom. Like he actually had control. So he let the feeling fill his head, let it take over and calm him. Without him even wishing it, Tenten's beautiful, smiling, snotty, crying face came to his head; a memory he had from when he gave her that ring. That moment of complete happiness. Completeness.

And with that thought in mind, Hyūga Neji used chakra to jump-start his own brain. His body moved with a jolt, as if he'd actually been shot in the head, the sudden movement alerted his companions. Confused for a moment, they watched in horror as Neji's body slumped over, and he fell over the railing of the bed, crumpling onto the floor.

A cry resounded through the room.

"_NEJI, NO!_"

**Okay, slight spoiler for my story: Neji isn't dead. Okay? I'd rather shove bamboo shoots under my fingernails and sit on inside burning house than kill Neji. So don't worry; he's not dead, nor is he going to die. **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Of Goodbyes

**Well. This chapter honestly made me cry to write. I'm deadass. You see, I knew whatever chapters came next had to be really sad, so I decided to nip it in the bud by making it this chapter. And yes, I also included a lemon whilst writing it. I thought it might make it easier to write. I even listened to my top two favorite bands while writing it, Blink-182 and A Day To Remember. Their songs pump me up and usually keeps me happy; so I assumed it would help me make this less sad. **

**It didn't. Because then "I Miss You" played, and so did "If It Means A Lot To You" and you ****_can't_**** be happy when listening to those songs while writing a chapter like this. And since my iPod is GAY sometimes, it made every other song either "I Miss You" and "If It Means A Lot To You". My iPod is a jerk sometimes. But, hey. I'm not here to complain. **

**To ****McKazekage****: for some strange reason that I can't truly explain, I smiled when I read your review. All that ran through my mind as I read it was, "Good, you got it," like how S.E Hinton described how people described TWTTIN (I can sometimes be a S.E Hinton dork). To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: ... different? I don't see how... but thanks! :) And what you wanted to say isn't the word I would use... the one I would use starts with a "c" and ends with an "unt", but hey... xP **

**Disclaimer: No own-age of Naruto. **

Nara Shikaru bit his lip, looking down at his feet. He wondered exactly at what point his life had begun to get so fucked-up. He figured it must have something to do with his mother, but deep down inside of him he knew that it had to have been much sooner than that. It seemed his destiny was to have a fucked life. He blew out air he hadn't even realized he'd been withholding, looking up at the Hyūga heiress before him.

He'd always respected Hinata, as both a kunoichi and as a person. She was a strong woman, not willing to let anybody get hurt. He knew he shared the same type of response to her precious ones with her; it was simply that his was more of a radical step than hers. She was also the kindest woman he'd ever had the pleasure of coming across.

He trusted her.

So he knew that when she said that he needed to actually leave Konohagakure because him staying there would be a threat to Hanabi's very safety; he really did have to leave Konohagakure. Shikaru listened to Hinata as she told him the full story, his eyes once in a while darting to look back into Hanabi's hospital room, watching her laugh as Shizuka entertained her.

He didn't want to leave her. He didn't want to spend a moment away from that beautiful smile, those bright eyes. Even that messy hair. He didn't want to leave her behind. But with her injuries, he definitely couldn't bring her along with them.

He nodded, forcing himself back to the conversation at hand. "Okay, Hinata," he said sadly, unable to tear his eyes off of Hanabi's happy smile, or even Shizuka's messy brown hair. Despite Shizuka's quietness and his ability to seemingly blend into the background, and his seemingly natural apprehension to making friends, the two of them had managed to become very close friends. He was a sort of glue, seeing as how he'd brought the trio close together in the first place. He would miss Shizuka, he knew it.

But not like he'd miss Hanabi.

"I wouldn't tell you this if it weren't absolutely necessary, Shikaru," said Hinata quietly, finding her own eyes drawn to her sister, who she wanted to leave completely in the dark.

"I know," he replied, biting his lip and tearing his eyes away from his teammates. "I'll tell Naruto-sensei for you. I know exactly where to find him right now. I know you two are close, but it's unfair for you to have tell everyone. In fact, I can tell Sasuke-san as well. Wherever Naruto-sensei is, it seems, Sasuke-san seems to be with him. We just need to meet to decide when to leave."

"I already know," said Hinata quietly, "I've talked to my doctors. They said I'm ready for discharge now, if I'm willing to sign the papers. We'll leave tonight. Midnight, to be specific." Hinata swallowed, fully understanding that by doing this; she would become a missing-nin. "We'll meet at training ground eight. It may be close to the Inuzuka house, but we can use the stream to both disguise our scent and to get out. It runs underneath the wall. We can swim out."

Shikaru nodded. "Should we bring anything?"

"Anything waterproof. Dried food, mostly. Water. Maybe some soldier pills. Weapons as well. We shouldn't be traveling for more than a day before we get picked up by… _Kabuto_." She had to spit out the last word. She'd never before in her life hated anyone like she hated Kabuto. Every opportunity he got, he seemed to want to screw up her life somehow. "Also, get something to disguise your face. I have my ANBU mask, and you can take one of Shikamaru's… but this is specific for Sasuke and Naruto; they're the most distinctive out of the four of us."

Shikaru sighed. "So, what… today is to simply say… goodbye?" His voice was strained, tight. Full of anguish. He didn't like the idea. He thought of his cousin, his uncle. His friends in his rookie group. All these people that helped develop himself; helped him make sense of the person he was. All these people he would therefore have to leave behind, forever most likely.

Hinata forced herself to nod. "Yes. That's what we'll have to do." She gave a weak smile. "I'm not going to lie to you… it'll hurt, Shikaru-sama. But it's necessary. Just remind yourself that this is to save the ones we love. To keep them all alive."

He sighed. "I know, Hinata-chama." He smiled weakly now. "As long as they're all safe, that's all that matters, right?"

She nodded. "Right." She would've said more, but she was interrupted by arms wrapping around her and holding her against his chest. Shikaru nodded his farewell and walked off in the other direction, intent on finding Naruto and Sasuke. She knew that immediately after letting them know of the rendezvous point, he would come back here and spend his last few hours as a Konohagakure shinobi with his teammates.

She didn't expect anything less.

Kankurō kissed her neck. "After you get discharged, I'd like to take you out," he murmured into her skin. "You, me, and Gaara, that is."

She raised an eyebrow. "Gaara?" she whispered, slightly confused as to why Gaara was joining them. Not that she had anything against the Kazekage, but she hardly knew him. What would she possibly say to him?

"Yes, Gaara. He'd like to officially meet you," he replied. "And I'm more than enthusiastic to make that happen." He kissed her cheek. "You mean a lot to me, and Gaara is not only my brother; but my closest friend. It would mean a lot to me if two of my favorite people were to become friends, as well." He pulled away, suddenly uncertain. "I mean, if you don't want to officially meet him, I understand. I haven't exactly been courteous or civil to your family, except for Hanabi."

She giggled, remembering when she found out from Hanabi that he'd punched her father. She turned around and wrapped her arms around tightly, kissing his chin. "I'd like to meet your brother," she whispered, feeling light-hearted and happy for the first time in hours. She had just spent her entire morning waiting with Tenten and Kankurō for doctors to tell them that Neji had, in fact, survived; but had to recover. He had been put into a deep sleep, and he wouldn't wake until the jutsu lifted into the next day. Hinata was just happy he was alive. He could've died doing what he'd done.

She was even happier to know that not only he was alive, but that he'd successfully managed to heal himself. His chakra system was completely back to normal, and he had proper blood flow.

He just needed to take it easy.

* * *

Gaara waited patiently for his brother and his girlfriend at the restaurant that evening, ignoring the lustful gazes of the women in the establishment. He didn't fully comprehend why every woman seemed to ogle him all the time. He had a feeling that it must have something to do with his status as Kazekage, but it had been going on a lot longer than he fully realized: it had been happening, roughly; since his father first officially introduced him to Sunagakure as a four-year-old little boy. Instantly, girls had rushed forward to touch him.

It confused him, but it also intrigued him. _Their reasoning was so skewed. _Gaara's jade eyes drifted around the room, going around and looking for any woman that wasn't staring at him, or a male that wasn't glaring over at him (due to jealousy for all the women's interest). To his absolute despair, no one was like that. He sighed unhappily, turning his attentions to his sweating glass of water. _Maybe I might just end up marrying whoever the council picks out for me, like my father did with my mother. _

_Or like how they wanted to do with Kankurō, _he thought angrily, thinking back to a meeting he'd had about a year after becoming the Kazekage. His entire council was there, including his sensei Baki and his siblings. Kankurō smiled at his brother, filled with pride at his accomplishment; while Temari simply swelled with happiness. The meeting seemed to be going well: Gaara actually had good ideas towards the improvement of Suna, and many of the members of the council approved.

And then they said the worst thing Gaara had ever heard in his life: "So, on the subject of your predecessor's will… we'd like to know if you've picked out any possible connections we may be able to make using your brother." Kankurō's eyes had widened, and he lowered his head. Mortified. Embarrassed.

Gaara stared, mouth agape. Temari spoke for him. "You have about ten seconds to tell me what the fuck you mean by, 'connections we may be able to make using your brother'?"

Baki glared at the offending council member. "He means exactly what you're thinking," he growled, "He intends to use Kankurō to strengthen ties between nations. He intends to marry him off like a common whore."

"This is the will of the Fourth Kazekage, sir," said another council member, offended by their outrage. He pointed at the puppet master. "The Kazekage has told us that this boy is useless and weak. He has no right to anything related to the seat of Kage. His only purpose in life is to provide ties for us. To strengthen our village, hell, our country's defense by organizing co-dependencies."

Kankurō stood up. "Maybe it's best I go," he muttered, turning to leave the meeting. Gaara could tell that he felt like nothing more than property, ready to just hand off. That was not something he felt that his brother deserved to get dished to him; especially after Hinata dumping him like she did.

Gaara stopped him. "You sit, now," he growled, making the council shiver with fear. Kankurō looked back at him, eyes filled with pain. He did sit down anyways, doing it simply because Gaara asked him to. "Now all of you listen well. My father should rot in hell for what he did to Kankurō-niisan, and my feelings about all of you are no different. How dare you overlook the fact that Kankurō is probably the finest shinobi the Sand will ever turn out?"

"Obviously, he is not, or else he would be the Kazekage," muttered a council member.

"And obviously you're more of a moron than the rest of these old fucks, because you're overlooking the fact that there are always shinobi stronger than the Kage themselves," he growled at the man, his sand swirling around his head.

"Name one such shinobi," spat the council member.

Gaara smirked evilly. "I think you forget the most obvious shinobi of them all. They would be the ones who the Kage entrust their lives with. The ones that are always with the Kage, wherever he may be. That shinobi, gentlemen… would be the Kage's bodyguard. Which, if I had gotten around to before you made a dumb-as-fuck statement… I had chosen Kankurō to be." Kankurō's head snapped up, and he stared at his little brother. The council member's mouths gaped in surprise. Gaara cocked a hairless eyebrow in triumph once he realized the silence from the council members was absolute. _I may not agree, brother, with your choice of loves, but… from what I understand, you belong to Hinata of the Leaf. I'll be damned before I let some random woman take you from her, and destroy your happiness._

* * *

"Hey, Gaar!" cried Kankurō, snapping Gaara out of his daze. He looked up and smiled at his older brother, who waved like a moron. He snickered—some things did change about people, and they sometimes did change for the better. Hinata grinned, amused by his loving stupidity, and kissed his cheek. He slid them both into the booth, at once asking for a bottle of rice wine. "It's a special occasion," he explained stupidly to the waitress.

"It must be; you're not wearing face paint," noted Gaara with a grin.

Kankurō chuckled. "You two get special treatment," he said, grabbing Hinata's hand in his. She blushed, and he kissed her cheek. Gaara smiled, leaning back in his side of the booth. _I like her, _he thought, watching her closely. _She's nice, she's pretty… she doesn't seem like a moron… Temari likes her… _"So, Gaara's the one that Naruto beat the shit out of back during the invasion," said Kankurō, making Gaara turn almost he same red as his tattoo.

Hinata smiled. "Don't worry, lots of people get the shit beaten out of them by Naruto. My cousin did, Sasuke did…"

"It brings down his 'street cred'," joked Kankurō, making Hinata giggle. Gaara glared at him.

"Kankurō got taken out by a bunch of your teammate's bugs," said Gaara. "He's now got a fear of _all_ insects." Hinata's giggles increased, and now it was Kankurō's turn to blush and glare at Gaara. "And part of the reason he wears Kabuki paint is because our sister would sometimes force him to wear makeup after she beat the shit out of him in a spar. He did it so she wouldn't have anything to work with."

"Low blow, Gaara," said Kankurō, shaking his head. "Gaara wore diapers until he was four." Gaara laughed at that one, and Kankurō smirked. "Okay; that one wasn't true, but I ran out of ammo."

"It doesn't matter if that wasn't true," said Hinata, shaking her head. She smiled. "Kankurō actually recites entire puppet plays he's seen in his sleep." Gaara nodded, unable to speak due to laughter. He knew for sure that one was true. He'd realized it when they were much younger. The habit must've started when he was about five.

Kankurō frowned. "No, I don't."

"How would you know, idiot? You're asleep," said Hinata, nodding her thanks at the waitress as she brought them rice wine. She poured a cup for all three of them, obviously habitually cordial at all times. Her eyes glittered with mischief. "I now know the entire play version of 'Icha Icha Paradise'." Kankurō turned a brighter red and slammed back the sake. Gaara and Hinata dissolved into a fit of hysterical laughter. Both knew fully well that Kankurō had been forced to go with Temari to see the completely-puppet preformed play; he was disgusted by the entire Icha Icha series. But he had an inherent ability to memorize the exact happenings of plays and events; especially those of the puppet variety.

"You guys just wanna tease me," he said, pouring himself another cup.

"Of course," replied Hinata sweetly, kissing the edge of Kankurō's mouth. Despite his despair, he gave a small smile, and looked at his girlfriend with both admiration and adoration.

"How else are we to bond?" asked Gaara, taking a sip of his own cup of wine. _Maybe this night won't suck. Hinata's fearless… I actually like her…_

The three continued their conversation, not trying to act civil or like the homebred politicians they could be. No, they acted like friends; unafraid to make crude jokes about one another, exchanging experiences with ease and eagerness. Gaara found himself slowly adoring the girl besides his brother, much like Temari did. He stopped considering her 'Hyūga-sama' and begun thinking her as 'Hinata-chan'. And Hinata did the same with him, thinking of him no longer as 'Kazekage-san' and as instead, 'Gaar-kun' as Kankurō and Gaara both insisted she call him by.

"Oh, God, I've gotta go," said Gaara suddenly, looking up at a clock. "I actually have to wake up in the morning… I've got an early meeting with Tsunade. She wants to talk about possible precautions the hidden villages should take after the attack on Hyūga Neji." Hinata quickly became serious.

"Do you mean Sunagakure and Konohagakure?" asked Hinata.

Gaara sighed. "I only wish it would be that simple, Hinata-chan. But, no. This issue has become one of all five villages. We've received word that Kabuto must be being sheltered by the Akatsuki, and not only that; but the village walls have been breeched. As of right now, Naruto's the only Jinchuuriki who remains unattacked and the Kyūbi's chakra is complete. Even Killer Bee of Kumogakure couldn't stop them. They got some of the chakra of Gyūki, the Eight Tails. Not a lot, but enough for them to be a threat." He didn't feel the need to note that his own tailed beast, Shukaku, had been forcibly ripped out of his body. "They have eight of them. They only need the Nine-Tails. It's become a threat to all the Nations."

Hinata nodded, lost in thought. "I see. So, are there going to be precautions taken on Naruto?" she asked. She was worried that their plan was endangered.

"Tsunade asked Uchiha Sasuke today to take watch over him, it seems," said Gaara. Hinata relaxed, settling back down. Kankurō stared, slightly confused as to why she'd gotten so worried. Gaara wondered the same thing, asking: "Why did you want to know?"

Hinata seemed nervous. "Oh. Um, I'm an ANBU operative, and this is the first vacation time I've gotten in a couple of months. I was worried that Tsunade-sama would assign this job to an ANBU team, specifically mine. I'd be exhausted if she did: it's hard to keep up with Naruto; especially with the Genin team he's been assigned. Sometimes, my sister seems more hyper-active than he is," she gushed.

Gaara nodded, accepting the information. "Well, it's a good thing you haven't been. From the interactions I've had with Naruto, he can be incredibly annoying sometimes." Gaara yawned, stretching the muscles in his arms. "Well, I must bid you both good night. Kankurō, I need you at this meeting, too, so I suggest you get some sleep."

Kankurō nodded, knowing he didn't intend on sleeping any time soon.

* * *

**(A/N: Another lemon. When you next see bold is when the lemon is over. Feel free to skip over the lemon if uncomfortable and/or underage.)**

_I had a good dinner, some good wine, a great step forward in the relationship between my brother and my Hina-chan… and now she's sneaking me into her bedroom so we can have sex. Can this night get any better? _Kankurō wondered as Hinata played with her window from the tree, somehow getting it opened despite it being locked from the other side of the door. She giggled at her boyfriend happily; taking his hand and leading her inside her bedroom. It was simple, he noted. A dresser. A bed. A rug. A chair. A bedside table. A bookshelf. A wardrobe. Nothing too incredible, but he felt like he was getting to see something so much more intimate.

"I do have to go to the hotel tonight, Hina-chan," he murmured. "I'd like to stay, but I do have to wake up in the morning, and I don't think your father would appreciate seeing me so much, especially naked and in his oldest daughter's bed…"

"I know," she whispered, ghosting her lips over his. "I know you have obligations, Kankurō. I just want to be close to you…"

She ran her hands underneath his shirt, her fingers pressing against his skin. He kissed her deeply, convincing her tongue to meet his and do that intricate dance they both loved. He fisted the material of her lavender jacket under his hand, pulling it tight over her breasts. She brought herself closer, pressing her wondrous assets to his body. His body seemed to hum. He was a live wire.

His hand moved from her hips to her zipper, putting distance between them so he could pull of her jacket. He was both surprised and delighted to know that she didn't wear a shirt underneath, instead in a lacy black bra. She blushed. "I, um… I kind of…"

"No need to explain it to me, Hina-chan," Kankurō murmured kissing her again before they were forced to separate once more, as she pushed his shirt up over his head. It tousled his hair, making it a complete mess, and she loved it. She ran her fingers through it before kissing him hotly, pushing her own tongue into his mouth. He moaned against her lips, more than happy to let her dominate for right now. He picked her up, gripping her waist tightly. She wrapped her legs around his waist, not wanting to miss the feeling of him against her groin.

He laid her down on the bed, her hair pooling around her head. They separated to shuck clothing; too much in need for the feeling of one another to try and do any sort of striptease. Their clothes landed in a pile on the floor next to the bed, quickly forgotten by their owners. He kissed her bared collarbone, making her moan loudly. He smirked. "Shh, Hina-chan… you don't want your family to hear you, do you?" he asked softly, putting a finger to Hinata's lips as a hand drifted down to play with her breasts. She moaned again, trying to keep it back by pressing her lips together. "I enjoy you screaming for me, Hina-chan, but…" He lowered his lips, wrapping them around a nipple and sucking hard.

"A-AH!" whispered Hinata, deeply enjoying the feelings Kankurō was giving her. "P-Please…"

"Hmm, Hina-chan? Tell me, 'please' what?" he asked, releasing her breast and kissing her lips again. He rolled his hips, exciting her more. She gasped out, her mouth susceptible for his tongue to travel once more. "Tell me, Hina-chan, so I can do it," he murmured hotly.

"P-Please… m-more…"

"More what? Tell me exactly what," he whispered, nibbling on her earlobe. He noticed that her hickeys had faded during her time at the hospital, and that no one had noticed while they were training what covered her neck and collarbone. _Hmm, that shirt and her hair. They must've hidden it. _He brought his lips to her throat, sucking hard on the skin there. Her arms wrapped around his back, fingers digging into his bare skin. _God, that feels so good…_

"I-I w-want you to… please… make love to me again," she whispered. He grinned. Her aversion to saying 'fuck me', 'have sex with me' or even, 'enter me'; was mildly amusing to him, but it was also such a turn-on. He didn't deny her, entering her with a thrust. She gasped out and moaned again. "_K-KURŌ-KOI!_" she murmured hotly, kissing him once more. He loved it when she called him that.

She began to move her hips to match his movements, making everything more pleasurable. She mewled as he dotted her neck with hickeys, and he groaned as she scraped at the skin of his broad back. Both were lost in the feeling of one another, gasping out the other's name as they found their release, pleasure seemingly overwhelming.

**(A/N: Okay, the lemon just ended. You're good now.) **

Kankurō laid down on his side next to her, ghosting his fingertips over her sweaty, panting body. She watched him with half-lidded eyes, noticing that his gaze of absolute love didn't deteriorate at all. He looked into her eyes, his gaze molten. "Hinata, if I was to say that I was going to leave my village, and came to live here, what would you say?"

She paused to think. "I think I would ask, 'Why'. So, why?"

He swallowed, suddenly nervous. "I missed you. These past three years, I missed you so much. I just wanted to be with you, and I decided that if you were to ever forgive me… I'd do whatever I could to keep you safe. And I thought, 'Hey, I can still do that as a bodyguard to Gaara'. But then I talked to Tenten, after what happened to Neji. About her engagement. And I realized that life is fleeting, and ours is especially dangerous. And every moment I spend with Gaara in Suna is another away from you. And I decided I don't like that idea."

"So, what, you're just going to quit to be with me?" she asked, now feeling like so much of a bitch for leaving. For sharing such an intimate moment with him and then leaving him in the lurch like that.

He deserved better than that.

"You make me really happy, and I don't want to be away with Gaara to come back on a visit and find out you're gone," he said, grabbing her hip and pulling her close so that she pressed against him. "Maybe it's selfishness, maybe its stupidity. Hell, I know its stupidity. But I also know… it's what I want. It's all I want, really. You make me happy, and you're happy being here, in Konoha."

She gave him a wobbly smile, and then kissed his soft, slightly bruised lips. "Don't quit on Gaara for me," she instructed softly, still smiling. "Because then I'll have to kick your ass for being so stupid. You have so many more obligations to your country than I do…"

"Yes, because a top ANBU operative and the heiress to an entire clan doesn't," he muttered, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "Especially one with gifts like yours…"

"I can always give up my inheritance, if it comes down to it," she whispered, looking away from him. _Why am fueling this fire? It will only hurt him more when he wakes up in the morning and finds out that I've bid the village—and him—goodbye. _

His eyes widened, and he tightened his grip. "Don't ever do that," he murmured, burying his face in the crook of her neck. "Don't even say that. You worked damned hard to gain the respect of these people, even I know that. Don't just throw it all away because of _me._"

She smiled softly. "You're much more important to me than any of 'these' people. You're the man I love." She kissed his neck and rubbed his sweaty hair. "And I won't say it again as long as you don't think about leaving your siblings behind. Deal?"

He smiled against her skin. "Deal."

* * *

Shikaru quietly slid open the window to Hanabi's hospital room, slipping inside with ease. He walked over to his young teammate, who slept with pain evident in her features. He reached out, touching her cheek with the touch of a feather. He kneeled down in front of her, her soft breath tickling his nose. "You can't hear me, I know you can't; but I just needed to confide in you something," he whispered, searching her face. "I've always thought you were so beautiful. Just completely perfect to me. Words cannot express how much I love you. And it hurts to know that I can never have that requited. Because you're too perfect for a person like me. A murderous bastard like me."

He rubbed her cheek. "I might not come back, Hanabi, from where I'm going," he continued, trying to remain emotionless. "I might die, or I just might not come back. That's why I'm here, telling you this. Even though you can't hear me, I just needed to admit it to you once. I needed to admit to you that while you thought we were nothing more than rivals all this time, it was just my stupid, socially awkward way of showing you how much I love you."

He smiled wobbly now. He pressed a hand to her chest, where he knew she was breathing laboriously. "Every night, I watched you sleep while you were here. And I wasn't sure what to do. But I know what I need to do." His hand glowed green. "My mother showed me this jutsu. It's a slight transference of life forces. I'm not supposed to use it, because it uses up a lot of chakra, but… I hate seeing you in pain."

He took some of the injury, feeling his heart tissue physically begin to rip. He knew that with his seemingly accelerated healing, he'd be fine by morning. He took as much injury as he could physically deal with right now, even taking some of the muscle damage in her leg. It'd hurt to move at the speed he needed to, but it wouldn't be anything he couldn't deal with.

"I just accelerated your healing by two weeks, I think. And you won't even know. Doctors will call it a miracle." He allowed himself to ghost a kiss onto her cheek. "Hanabi… I love you, and I always will. Our time together as teammates is something I will always remember. I just hope you will never forget me, or Naruto-sensei. Always remember us both, if we don't come back. And please… don't be mad at us. Don't hate us." He swallowed back his tears. "By doing this, we're keeping the village safe. Just think about that. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

Shikaru backed away, letting go of the girl. That beautiful girl, with eyes like the moon. With a shaking hand, he placed Shikamaru's stolen deer-faced mask onto his face. He knew that if Shikamaru found him, he would get the shit kicked out of him, but he didn't care. He pulled up the hood of the ANBU robe (also stolen from Shikamaru). He slipped back out of the hospital room.

His presence was like a ghost, but Hanabi could feel it. She opened her eyes to an open window. Her brow furrowed. _Why do I feel like missed something incredibly important? _Hanabi wondered, propping herself onto her elbow. She touched a hand to her cheek, which still had Shikaru's warmth seared into it. _Shikaru… why am I worried about you right now…?_

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto met Shikaru halfway there. Sasuke had simply found a dark-colored jacket and a pair of sunglasses; making himself seem almost like an Aburame with his natural paleness. Only Shikaru could see the red eyes of the Sharigan behind those shades. He nodded at his cousin, who simply nodded back.

Naruto had managed to procure some ANBU clothing, even wearing a mask. Shikaru could only guess that he'd broken into a known ANBU operative's home and stolen the clothing. A double offense.

Naruto nodded sadly at his student, and Shikaru bit his lip. Though Naruto was only a couple of years older than him, just three or so; he considered him to be like a father. Naruto touched his shoulder softly for a millisecond before the trio began on their way. Not a word was exchanged between the three; and none were needed. They all knew that conversations were something they would have after they left the safety of the village and knowingly walked into enemy arms.

But, for now, they had to remain silent.

Hinata was already there, having left the Hyūga compound the moment Kankurō left for his hotel; not wanting to be caught by any Hyūga guards or worse, Hinata's father. She wore her own ANBU mask, her hair pulled back into a tight and high ponytail. She had a bag filled with medical materials on her back, and her katana on her hip. She knew that it was probably not a good idea she bring something as distinctive as that blade with her, but she needed that little piece of home.

She was sure the boys in front of her did the exact same thing as she. She nodded at them, slipping off of the rock she was sitting on, leading the three males to the stream. It was deep enough, and wide enough, for them to swim in without touching the ground, which meant they would swim as deep as their lungs would allow. She assured her bag was securely zipped before slipping into the water, taking a deep breath before ducking her head underneath the water, swimming as deep as she dared. Usually, she would revel in the feeling of the cool water on her skin, but she had not the time. She needed to focus.

By the time most of the village was waking up, they had managed to pass through three cities, giving themselves more than a day's start in only six hours.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Of Drastic Change

**This chapter: starts really nice, and then gets really screwed up. And then redeems itself. BEST SUMMARY I COULD GIVE. Seriously. I don't think it sucks, but it's one you really have to stick with. You have to dedicate yourself.  
**

**I will admit this to you, oh dear reader of mine: I don't think I'll update this next week, really. MAYBE I'll update this coming Sunday, but that's like... I can't promise it for sure. My commitments are coming to full throttle: like, I don't really have school this next week, but I'm still going to be there. Even tomorrow, I'm going to be working on school shit from 9 AM to 9 PM, so there's no way in hell I'll be writing. I'll try to get something done after this chappy, but I can't promise...  
**

**To TheGirlWithNoIQ: hehe, thanks... I worked really hard on this kid, so it's great to hear that you like him... and a bigger thanks for calling it different. I just have little to no confidence with my writing, so I wasn't sure if you meant it in a bad way. It's nothing against you, I'm just really weird. x) To McKazekage: ah, sorry. I meant to write it out, because while it was mandatory reading in my school district; I forget that's not the same all around. I just forgot. Haha, you really were snarling at the monitor on your computer reading this? I caused that? Well, don't fret; I don't think I really caused a lot of snarling with this chappy. :D  
**

**Disclaimer: no own.**

Kiba had his hands shoved into his pockets, whistling happily; basking in the warmth of the day. _Such a pleasant, lazy day_, he thought as he watched Akamaru pretend to be a puppy once more, lying on his back in the meadow and wind milling his paws in the air. Kiba snickered and raised his closed fist to his hand, holding back the laugh. They were supposed to be training, he knew it; but he didn't feel like it with the weather that day and he knew that Akamaru didn't want to either.

They were content to sit and play in the heat.

Kiba caught sight of the blossoming sakura trees and immediately frowned, thinking of his pink-haired friend. He'd liked Haruno Sakura for a while now, about two years. But she'd never noticed his affections towards her; his inability to not do what she asked of him. It hurt to see her relentlessly flirting with Uchiha Sasuke the moment he got back to town, but there was nothing he could do about it. He just hoped that she'd notice him, maybe. But she didn't, and he even doubted she ever would. Kiba was very realistic in that sense: he knew at some point, he'd have to get up and get over Sakura.

He was slightly worried about her. Only he seemed to be able to notice it, but he thought Sakura was acting kind of weird all the time now. Darker. Yes, that was it—she was darker. Darker _how, _Kiba didn't truly know, nor could he explain it. But she had definitely changed, and it wasn't for the better. He also wasn't sure how to approach her, now that this seemed to be happening. He wasn't sure how to fix what could possibly be wrong, or it that there was anything to be fixed.

He could sure as hell try, though.

"Akamaru, c'mon!" called Kiba, snapping his fingers at his companion. Obediently, the nin dog got up, bounding over to his master. He licked Kiba's wrists affectionately, and Kiba simply grinned down at his best friend. Akamaru barked, but what Kiba heard was: _Are we going to see Sakura-chan today? _"Yeah, we are. I'm still worried about her. Sorry about ruining your day out, buddy." Bark. _Sakura-chan is my friend, too, Kiba-kun. I worry of her, too. _Kiba grinned again and scratched Akamaru's big head the way he knew that he liked. Akamaru yipped happily, more than welcome to the affection his master displayed for him.

"Kiba; Akamaru," said a quiet monotone. After years of hearing this voice, Kiba ceased having a reaction of surprise or shock due to the fact that the owner of the voice didn't quite believe tapping a shoulder to display they were there, or even saying 'Hi'.

"You know, Shino, you could greet people like a regular person sometimes," said Kiba in an amused voice, grinning wide at Shino; his best friend. Shino shrugged; a motion almost unseen given the bulky jacket he always wore. Kiba shook his head and snickered, knowing that while Shino seemed so careless about his suggestion, he was actually contemplating it seriously. _That _was why Shino was Kiba's best friend. Shino was serious when Kiba couldn't be, and when Kiba was he was there to defuse him. The two boys had grown up together, had bonded _way_ before they had gotten close with either Hinata or Kurenai. Kiba always understood Shino's points and emotions; and Shino; Kiba's.

"Have you seen Hinata-chan at all this morning?" asked Shino out of pure curiosity. "My picture of her, the frame, it snapped this morning."

Kiba smirked. "Thought you didn't believe in omens," he teased.

"It doesn't matter. It gave me a bad feeling, and that is all that I need to say," said Shino, slightly irritated and lightly blushing under the concealing, bulky jacket. "So, have you seen her?"

He shook his head. "Nah, sorry. Maybe she's looking in on Hanabi with that Shikaru kid today. Or maybe she's looking in on Neji. I was going to the hospital, anyways, so you can look for her there if you'd like. I'll even have Akamaru help you."

"What are you going to the hospital for, Kiba?" questioned Shino. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to talk to Sakura?" Kiba automatically blushed, and Shino knew he was right. "Are you going to talk to her sociably, or are you going to talk to her about…"

"Don't even say it," growled Kiba, putting his hands over his ears and running forwards a few steps from his friend. "Don't make me regret telling you, Shino! I swear to God, I'm not above beating the shit out of my best friends! I will do it!"

"Hn. Like you could beat the shit out of me, Kiba," 'taunted' Shino, his monotone slightly dissuading a person from realizing he was being pleasant and jocular. Only those close to him could actually figure out that this was Shino in his _best_ mood. "You really should tell her about this, Kiba. It's unfair to her and it's unfair to you. In the long run, you're going to be the one who gets hurt out of this if you don't say anything."

Kiba sighed, dropping his hands. "Yeah, I know," he said irritably, licking his dry lips. "But… you know…" He turned to his friend, eyes bright with mischief. "Hey! Did I tell you that I saw Kankurō last night, _leaving Hinata's house and still pulling on a shirt_?"

Shino groaned. "Kiba. You're too interested in their personal life," he said with a hot blush on his cheeks. Kiba knew that while he denied wanting to know about the happenings between the relationship of their two friends; Shino was actually interested in it and mortified to know he was. Kiba snickered to himself. _Shino's like an open book and its fucking funny! _

* * *

Sakura bit her nail nervously, sitting down on the bench outside of Hyūga Neji's room. Neji was still unconscious, and Sakura was seriously debating on what to do. She had no idea if Neji had managed to rid himself completely of her influence, since she had no Byakugan and Hinata (true to her word to Neji) refused to talk to any doctor about what might be going on in his skull. And within hours, it was decided that _no _Hyūga would tell _any _doctor anything about what was going on with Neji's head. Sakura had no idea why Hinata had done that, but she knew it wasn't good for her.

_That little bitch, _Sakura thought angrily, eyes narrowing in fury. _Now I have no idea on whether or not I can kill Neji! _She knew that she would if it came down to it, and that she actually wanted to kill him—after all, Neji and Kankurō didn't have a good relationship, did they?—but she had to make it seem like an accident, being in a hospital.

And 'accidental' deaths take patience, time, and planning. Patience was something Sakura was born without, and her worry stopped her from being able to plan while in a particularly bad fix. And this was_ DEFINTELY _a particularly bad fix.

_What to do, what to do… prolong the coma? No; that will actually strengthen Neji's mind, making everything he says more believable… I can't put him in the same genjutsu again; I'll end up killing him and being without a pawn. I could cut out his tongue, but that's always been a horribly messy procedure and not worth the effort when he can simply write things down. Besides, if I do that, what will happen when I realize that he was in the same condition as before? Shit, I wish that I had the Byakugan and not that little whore… _

"Sakura!"

Her head snapped up, her green eyes finding that Kiba was waving at her, hands stuffed into his pockets. She smiled shakily at him, inwardly thinking that she could use his life to manipulate the Hyūga clan into telling her exactly what was going on in Neji's skull. She had long since past the thoughts of 'they are my friends, I shouldn't do this'. The moment she had attacked Ino the way she did, it had been erased. Now, she thought of every one her 'friends' as a way to get a leg-up.

"Hi, Kiba-kun," she said tiredly, getting up and meeting him for a small hug. _He's warm, but he's not what I want, _she thought, pretending for a second that Kiba was Kankurō.

"Can I talk to you, Sakura?" he asked before a doctor rushed up, grabbing Sakura's elbow.

"Haruno-san, I need your help in the children's section!" cried the doctor, pulling her in that direction. Sakura winced and looked over at Kiba, pleading with her eyes to stop this man from pulling her arm out of its socket.

Kiba yanked her arm away, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly in his. He smiled at her. "You look exhausted, Sakura-chan. I'll walk with you to the children's ward, and then we can talk on the way over there. Is that alright with you?" he asked. _No, not really, _she thought, her eyes darting over to Neji's hospital room.

"Shino, if Neji wakes up, you have to get me!" she cried, sighing internally in defeat. She knew there was no way she could stop this, she knew that she would have to go to the children's ward.

Shino nodded almost imperceptibly, Akamaru sitting at his side. Both felt that Kiba needed to spend time alone with her, and it would be best that they stayed and monitored Neji's condition.

Tenten's hand was fisted under her cheek, and her breathing was light and even. She was asleep; Shino knew that without even taking a second glance. He lightly shook her, whispering her name. She blinked blearily, slightly confused about Shino's presence. "Go get something to eat and go get a change of clothes," said Shino, "I will watch Neji for you. You can trust me."

Tenten yawned. "Thanks, Shino," she said appreciatively, getting up and walking over to her love, kissing Neji's temple. "I'll be back before you know it," she said lovingly, stroking his cheek with her thumb. She nodded back at Shino before walking out of the room, leaving Akamaru and Shino alone. Shino let out a sigh and sat back in the chair Tenten had so recently evacuated, more than happy to let Akamaru lay on top of his feet. The dog was like a space-heater.

"I really do have a bad feeling about Hinata, Akamaru," said Shino, unafraid to admit his feelings to a dog. "I don't believe in omens; Kiba's right about this. But I didn't touch the picture. I was simply reading a scroll at my desk, and then the frame just snapped. It was very random, and it worried me."

Akamaru's big head nodded in agreement before his eyes widened, seemingly startled; and then excited. Akamaru jumped to his feet, running over to Neji's bedside and stood on his hind legs, paws braced on the mattress. Eagerly, he watched the Hyūga prodigy's face. Shino stood up. _Neji must be waking up, _he thought, walking slowly around Neji's bedside to look down at the boy in his face.

Neji's mouth tilted downward into a frown, and his right eyebrow twitched. He cracked open his left eye only to be attacked by Akamaru's tongue. He winced at the aggressive way that the dog was showing his happiness. "Hey, I get it, Akamaru, you're happy to see me!" groaned Neji, closing his eye again. "But, please, let me breathe!"

"Akamaru, stop," ordered Shino. Akamaru only obeyed six people in the entire world: Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Kurenai, Hana, and Tsume (especially Tsume, as she terrified him). Akamaru stopped licking Neji's face automatically; panting and looking at Shino with excitement evident in his eyes. Shino nodded and looked back at Neji. "There, better?"

"Much, thank you," said Neji, forcing himself to sit upright. He winced as he moved his leg slightly, but it apparently was nothing he couldn't handle. Neji's hand drifted upwards to his wrapped forehead, under which was a concealed curse mark. "How long have I been asleep?"

"As far as I know, a day or so," replied Shino, snapping his fingers at Akamaru. "Akamaru and I shall go and get Sakura. She told me to notify her immediately should you wake up."

"What… no!" yelled Neji at Shino, who at that point had his hand on the doorknob. He looked back, confused. "Do not get Sakura. I can't trust her any longer, and you shouldn't either."

"Sakura is… a good doctor," said Shino slowly. He really wasn't very close with the girl, so he couldn't compliment her besides her medical skills.

"Sakura is a traitor," said Neji in a voice so angry that Shino trembled under its timbre. His eyes widened, staring at Neji. _Sakura… a traitor? _"And I need your help to prove it."

* * *

"We should rest for a few hours in this village," said Shikaru in a low voice, so low that he almost doubted anyone could hear him. Hinata gave him a barely imperceptible nod, unsheathing her katana and taking it to a tree, slicing an indent into the bark. He noticed that she did this often, marking whenever they changed direction or stopped for any period of time. He assumed it was to backtrack in case they were to get lost, but he didn't want to ask her why.

"We can rest on the outskirts. It's probably best we spend no money; seeing as how most places might need identification," said Sasuke, kneeling down and swinging his bag off of his back. "We can rest for about five hours, but no more, I believe. Was there any sort of rendezvous spot, Hinata? Any specific times we should have met anyone, anywhere?"

She sighed. "No, there wasn't. Nothing of the sort." She pulled off her ANBU robe, folding it up. "We should hide these. It's probably best we don't keep them on our person, it will raise questions amongst shinobi we may pass," she said, deviating from the subject. She was obviously nervous and homesick, probably missing Kankurō more than she would let on to the three of them.

"Where should we head, then?" asked Sasuke irritably, sitting down on the dirt ground at the base of a tall tree. "We have no direction, Hinata. We're wandering; lost."

"Sasuke, stop," said Naruto, sitting down and pulling off his own bag. He glared at his black-haired friend. "This isn't Hinata's fault, so stop trying to pick a fight with her!" Sasuke glared back at the blonde ninja before sighing in defeat; knowing Naruto was actually right. He was trying to fight with her for something he knew she had no control over, and it was incredibly unfair of him.

She didn't want this, either.

"We don't need a direction, anyways," said Naruto after a moment of silence. "If it's like Hinata was saying on the way over, the Akatsuki should want me bad enough to be tracking us as we speak. They're just waiting to make sure no one is following, probably." Naruto grinned weakly. "Who knew that being forced to leave the village would make me actually think logically?"

Shikaru sat down, wrapping his arms around his legs and putting his chin onto his knees. Hinata noticed that this kid looked a hell of a lot weaker than he actually was. He looked small, skinny. But this kid had broken Neji's leg with nothing more than a well-place kid and a lot of power, according to Kakashi. She refused to underestimate him.

"Why do they want us, anyways?" sighed Naruto aloud, unable to think without speaking. "They've always wanted me, but why…"

"It's simple, Naruto-sensei. Obviously, Sasuke-san's Mangekyō Sharigan is something they're very interested in, as not many Uchiha are able to awaken it. And me… well, I think you know why they might want me," whispered Shikaru, biting his lip. "And Hinata… because of the Wood-styled ninjutsu she uses."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Hinata; that was you who did that to Neji? Surrounded him by with the Wood?" He seemed more confused. "I thought only Yamato was able to do that…"

"Yamato…?" asked Hinata, confused. The only other Wood-styled user she knew of was Danzō! "Who is this… Yamato…?"

"He took over for Kakashi briefly when we were still searching for Sasuke," explained Naruto.

"Orochimaru genetically engineered Yamato that way," said Sasuke. "It was the only possible way for the gene to be repeated. That kekkei genkai died with the First Hokage. Danzō was never a natural-born user, though he could do it. He injected the DNA of the First Hokage into himself, and it wasn't completely successful, either. Yamato was the first success…" He trailed off, staring at her. "Hinata, did you ever meet Orochimaru?"

She shook her head. "Not officially. I can't remember ever crossing paths with him. I knew of him, though." She squirmed under Sasuke's stare. It was making her uncomfortable to know that Sasuke was attempting to analyze her, attempting to figure out something. "What? Why are you staring at me? It's weird."

"Hinata… you shouldn't be able to use Wood-styled ninjutsu. It's a kekkei genkai, particular to the Senju clan and the First Hokage," said Sasuke. "You're a Hyūga, with the kekkei genkai of the Byakugan. You shouldn't be able to use any type of a Senju kekkei genkai." He flicked a glance over to Shikaru. "And you… what are you?"

Shikaru appeared to be slightly irritated by his phrasing. He sighed and stood up, patting down his Capri pants. "I'm sick of assholes trying to instigate things amongst those who would obviously rather not focus on the bad," he said, staring pointedly at Sasuke. "I'm going into town to get some goods."

"But-!" began Naruto.

"They won't ask a kid as young as me for any sort of ID, sensei," sighed Shikaru. "I'm also the least distinctive out of all four of us. I'm the only one who isn't an ex-international criminal…" Sasuke turned red with embarrassment, looking down at his hands. "Or a member of the Hyūga clan, obviously the Main house…." Hinata blushed as well, biting her bottom lip. "Nor am I known across the nations as the 'Loudest Ninja', with distinctive orange clothing and whisker marks on their cheek." Naruto laughed, amused by the truth of Shikaru's words. Shikaru sighed again. "Besides, if I don't draw any attention to myself, I won't look like a shinobi. But I also can't buy any condoms or alcoholic beverages; nor can I buy any sort of weaponry."

"Then what are you going to buy?"

"Hygiene products, mostly," he replied. "Maybe a couple of magazines. I dunno; I'll figure it out when I get to town. Anybody have anything specific they need to be acquired?" He blushed a little, looking over at Hinata with apprehension and nervousness evident in his features. "Anything? Maybe of the girlish variety...?" Hinata was the only to figure out what he was trying to say. She glared at him, unsheathing her katana slightly. Sasuke and Naruto stared at them, the gears still turning in their heads.

Shikaru snickered and ran off.

* * *

"Hey, kid!"

"Yo, kid!"

"Little buddy, come on over here!"

Shikaru grinded his jaw, hands stuffed into his pockets as he attempted to ignore the calls from the different people in this town. It was a civilian town, and the one they seemed to be in contained people from the lowest levels of life. They all were creepy, grimy, and all-over bad people. They were like the people his mother used to have him kill. A part of him wanted to adhere to their wishes, to pull them into a back alley; and then to brutally kill them. To spill blood. To see their insides.

_Stop it! _Shikaru berated himself, biting his gums. _You're not him anymore! Nara Shikaru is not a heartless murderer! _So he pressed forwards, walking decidedly towards what appeared to be an antique music shop. He found himself drawn for some reason, thinking about the vast amount of musical instruments that used to reside in his home as a small child. His mother had been deeply in love with music, and she managed to hook her husband and child onto her addiction with her beautifully seductive voice. Since her death, he tried to do one thing that he thought she would want: to find good music.

His senses were overwhelmed by the sight of so many musical devices. Flutes, trombones, drums, pianos, guitars, sitars, and instruments he couldn't even name—they were all there. His hand touched the top of the drum, feeling the soft material on its top. He softly tapped his fingertips against it, liking how deep the sound was. It was finely and beautifully tuned. He allowed himself to tap the top again, easily falling into a rhythm with a song his mother had taught him as a child. A simple song.

"Ah, a musician, I see," came a voice. Shikaru whipped around, feeling like he'd gotten caught touching a prized million-dollar painting rather than a simple hand-me-down drum. A man with sunglasses and messy, unkempt hair came over to him, placing his hands onto the instruments and chairs in his way in order to keep from tripping. _Is he… blind? _The man frowned. "Now, why did you stop? I am interested to hear the rest of this song."

Shikaru nodded, knowing the man couldn't see him, and resumed playing. "Do you own this shop?" he asked, not looking away from this man's face. _Something about him seems so familiar to me, _he thought. He tried to connect this face to his memories, but nothing seemed to be clicking.

The man gave a small smile. "Uh-huh. It's been mine for about… nine, ten years now? I forget sometimes." He chuckled to himself. "The woman I loved got me into music, and after I lost her I decided to buy the shop. I hoped I could possibly get her back using it. Sadly, it hasn't worked, but that's just life."

"I'm sorry," Shikaru immediately apologized, giving the sightless man a small smile. "My mother, she was deeply into music. She taught me to play whatever instrument we had in the house when I was still young, though when I turned four all music just seemed to stop for a while. I haven't actually played anything for a long time." Shikaru was slightly surprised with himself for so easily giving this man an honest truth, considering he didn't know him at all.

"What happened?" asked the blind shopkeeper.

"My father. He… passed," said Shikaru uncertainly. "He was a great man, and my mother, she just couldn't live on without him in the same way. Everything changed."

The shopkeeper nodded. "How old are you?"

"Uhm… what day is it?" He was vaguely sure it was May, and his birthday was that month.

"The nineteenth of May." Shikaru sucked in a breath. "What?" asked the man, whose ears had grown in sensitivity due to his blindness. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"No, I just realized… my birthday passed a couple of days ago," said Shikaru slowly. "I turned thirteen three days ago." _How could I forget my birthday? _He'd never forgotten it before. Despite the fact that he knew he would not celebrate it like a normal child, he had always looked forwards to his birthday. _I must've been so busy worrying about Hanabi; it completely slipped my mind. _

"Happy birthday," said the man slowly.

"Thank you," replied Shikaru softly, looking back down at the drum head. He felt, somehow, that he needed to ask this man another question. "Do you have a son?" The man hesitated. Shikaru blushed lightly. "I'm sorry, that's none of my business. Forgive me for asking such a personal question…"

"No, no, it's alright," said the man, waving him off. "And yes, I do. Or, I did. I don't truly know. I haven't seen him, or heard of him, in so many years. He would be about your age right now." He gave a small smile in Shikaru's general direction. "I sometimes wish to see him, but then I think he wouldn't like me very much… who would want to hear from a man who abandoned you at such a young age, huh?"

"I would," whispered Shikaru, his drumming hand dropping to his side. "I miss my father so much. I hardly knew him—I was very young when he died, after all—but I do wish that he'd come back. I wish it so damned hard, every day." He gave a wry smile. "They say ignorance is bliss. Well, they're wrong about that. It always hurts more to know that something might be kept from you." He looked at the blind man. "I'm sorry. I'm just bombarding you with words and criticism, and I hardly know you."

"Its fine," said the man, his own smile growing. "They say that music is the best therapy. If that is the case, then I think I'm happy to know that your soul has been cleansed… kid."

Shikaru chuckled. "I wish my soul could be cleansed," he whispered to himself, not knowing that the man could hear him. The man swallowed and gripped his knee tight. Shikaru bowed to the man, even though he couldn't see. "Thank you for listening to me, mister…"

"Shi. My name is Shi," said the man with a smile.

Shikaru nodded. "My name is… Obito." He didn't want to adopt his former name for this instant, but he didn't want to give this man the one that any sort of tracking Leaf shinobi would know. Technically speaking, all known people with the name Obito were dead. He had no actual worries using that name. He just hated using it. Calling himself Obito made him feel like the person he used to be.

Shi nodded. "It is nice to meet you, Obito," he said, holding out his hand to shake the boy's. Tentively and uncertainly, Shikaru stuck out his hand, letting the roughened palm touch his in an awkward, yet friendly handshake.

Shikaru pulled away first. "I hate to cut this so short, Shi-san, but I must go. I must bid you farewell." _They're gonna wonder what's taking me so long! I don't want to keep them waiting for so long, though I wouldn't care less if I happened to piss of Sasuke-san… _He snickered at the thought of the Uchiha prodigy pissed off at him.

"Wait." Shi got up, going into the pockets of his oversized jacket and pulling out what appeared to be a shining harmonica. "Take this. As a birthday present. All kids should get birthday presents, right?" Shikaru stared at this man, eyes wide. He had no memories of ever receiving a birthday gift. With a shaking, excited hand; he reached out his hand, placing his fingertips on the shining metal of the harmonica.

"A-Are you sure?" asked Shikaru uncertainly. Shi nodded, smiling again. Completely serious. "T-Thank you," he said, taking the wind instrument out of Shi's fingers, tucking it into his sweatshirt pocket. "You are a very kind man, Shi-san."

"Please, just call me Shi," said the blind man, snickering. "And you're welcome, Obito." He reached out and touched Shikaru's shoulder, running his hand along the boy's shoulder and up to his face. Shikaru was confused at first, but automatically figure out that he was just trying to 'see' who it was he was talking to. So he allowed him to run his fingertips on his face. Shi smiled and patted Shikaru's cheek. "Go ahead. I think I've kept you long enough."

Shikaru bowed again. "I cannot thank you enough, Shi. I regret that I'm simply passing through town." Shikaru swallowed, realizing what he'd just said. _Great, now I know I have to run! I'm going to end up telling this man the truth, and I don't know why! _Shikaru stood up, turning on his heel and running out of the shop, mortified by his verbal vomit.

'Shi' smiled at the sound of the clacking shoes of the rushing boy. He wasn't at all offended that he'd ran off. Rather, he was ecstatic. He was on Cloud Nine. He had never expected he'd be so lucky enough to be near this boy again, to even talk to him. It had been a shock, at first, when he'd actually recognized the chakra signature the boy gave off. Only _one _person had ever had that chakra, and he had believed there was no way he'd ever be in the same room again.

_Obito… _he thought with a smile. _I wonder, if you would have been so courteous to me if you had known who I was… you were too young to remember me, I know, but… _He was glad he'd made the split-second decision to give the kid the harmonica, which he had infused with his chakra years before. _I haven't been the best to you, but what I did, and still do; has always been to protect you… and Amai! _

Uchiha Shisui's smile grew into a full-blown grin, walking over to the drum that his son just touched. "I think I shall 'see' you soon… my son, Obito!"

* * *

For the past few blocks, Shikaru had been aware that he was being tailed. Using his Rinnegan, he'd been able to figure out their exact location. Their chakra signatures would give anyone else but him a sense of danger and dread, but all he felt was slight apprehension. He wasn't an idiot—he knew these people were Akatsuki.

Shikaru sat down on a bench, waiting patiently for them. He looked up at the sky, realizing the sun was close to setting. He smiled wryly. _Just yesterday, I was eating Hanabi's crap hospital food while she feasted on ramen Naruto-sensei gave to her earlier… I will never have those days again, will I? _Shikaru thought, deactivating the Rinnegan. He glared at the men with the black cloaks and red clouds within. "You guys walk slow," he said in a low, dangerous voice.

"I didn't think we were on a time schedule," said one of the men sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the boy's irritating attitude. Shikaru's mouth tightened upon recognizing both of them as the other two people who had helped Sasuke try to destroy Konohagakure. _Jūgo… and… Suigetsu, I think? _Shikaru struggled to remember. Their names hadn't been very important while he was trying to keep his home safe.

"You're not, but I could've done with someone to keep that little bitch, Sasuke, off of our asses for the trip," said Shikaru, maintaining his glare. Suigetsu's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch. Shikaru smirked in amusement. "Oh, you didn't know that Sasuke was supposed to be with us? That's a surprise."

"We were only tracking you and the Uzumaki boy," said Jūgo quietly and calmly. _Makes sense. We have the largest chakra signatures out of the group, I believe... _"How many more are there, besides Sasuke?"

"Just one more." Shikaru was tight-lipped, unwilling to say more. Suigetsu's mouth twitched irritably, and he began to reach for his sword. _Oh, you're going to strike at me? And the 'other guy's' already so excited… I didn't satiate him by killing Neji… _Shikaru had spent the amount of time he had with Hanabi not only because he cared about her condition, but because he was afraid that he was going to go back and kill Neji. Seeing her managed to keep him calm. Preoccupied. Suigetsu's fingers brushed against the handle of the blade, and finally Shikaru moved. In a flash, he was sitting on Suigetsu's head, feet dangling and bumping against the older boy's chest; and his hands wrapped around the hilt of the giant sword. "Tsk, tsk," said Shikaru as Suigetsu's mind caught up. "You shouldn't threaten me. I don't do kindly with those."

Jūgo raised his hands. "Let's… not fight," he said slowly. Shikaru stared at the man. _He's a coward, but I respect him. Because… he seems to be nice. _"We are simply following through on orders. And our orders are to take your little group back to our base. It's as simple as that. We're not looking for any fights."

Shikaru pointed at Suigetsu's head. "I'm not either, but your friend threatened me. And the way I was raised, people who threaten me and those close to me are undeserving of any sort of mercy." Shikaru sighed, hopping off of Suigetsu, his sword in his hand. "Ooh, are you a Swordsmen of the Mist?" asked Shikaru. "I think this is called Kubikiribōchō, correct? It belonged to Momochi Zabuza, am I right?" He tested it with one hand. "It's heavy."

"Give it to me, kid," hissed Suigetsu venomously, "Or you'll regret it."

"I'll keep it, I believe," said Shikaru, placing long hilt onto his shoulder, using it to prop up the blade. "I think this will be your bargaining chip. You do not hurt me or my comrades, and I do not destroy this blade." Shikaru glared at them, activating his Rinnegan and Sharigan for effect. The two older shinobi stopped cold, and Shikaru shrugged and turned on his heel, walking away. "If you touch a hair on the woman's head, I will slice _your_ head clean off of your body."

He had figured a while ago that if it came down to it, he would give his life to protect Hinata's. She was Hanabi's sister, for one; and the love he'd seen between her and that Kankurō guy reminded him of the few memories he had of seeing his mother and father together. He believed people deserved that sort of love.

* * *

When Shikaru had came back with the two Akatsuki members, Hinata's first reaction was to cut into the bark of the tree again while Sasuke and Naruto put out the small fire they had made. She had done it so anybody who was tracking them, besides the Akatsuki, could find them easily. Her team had developed the habit of doing such, as they were some best trackers of Konohagakure. With Shino's bugs, Hinata's eyes, and Kiba and Akamaru's noses, how could they not be?

_I hope they do find us, _she thought, placing her katana back into its cover._I know something bad will happen, and I want them to find us soon to prevent such a thing! _She turned, nodding at Naruto. He smiled shakily, obviously wishing the same thing. He, himself, had witnessed Team Kurenai often doing such a thing, and he had chosen to say nothing because obviously Hinata didn't want to tell anybody. She was just glad he respected her wishes.

_Kankurō_, she thought, closing her eyes. _I'm so sorry, and I hope you'll find me before something happens! _

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, back in Konohagakure, a certain puppet master was joining a small group of shinobi who were leaving to track the group. They had spent the last few hours of sunlight using the entire Inuzuka clan to get a scent on at least one of the missing nin, finally picking up the strong scent of Naruto about a mile out from the village. They developed a plan to find them, and now they were leaving to find them.

Hanabi watched with teary eyes. She'd spent the entire day worrying about her sister. Kankurō sighed, walking over to the girl and allowing her to hug him. He rubbed the back of her head. "Don't you worry. I'm gonna bring her back, and I'm gonna bring back your sensei and your teammate. And Sasuke, maybe." Hanabi giggled, despite her sadness. She wanted to come, but her leg was still in bad shape, and she had been winded just walking out of the hospital that day. Kō nodded at Kankurō, who let go of the young girl. "Keep her safe," he said. "And keep her from trying to follow. Bar her window tonight." She glared at him, and Kō chuckled.

"Will do," he responded about his niece.

Kankurō nodded, fixing his scrolls on his back. It was rather heavy due to the extra scroll he decided to carry for this occasion. He nodded at Shikamaru, the unofficial leader of the search party. "Let's go," he growled, only thinking, _If they touch a hair on her perfect head, I'll kill them all. _


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Of Traitors, Part One

**I'M BACK! lmao. Well, I know I promised this on Sunday, but I just couldn't finish in time. Sorry! But I got it done this morning (yes)! I decided to upload before I forgot to when I come back from where I'm going... so enjoy it! **

**Umm, lots of flashbacks in this one. Just keep aware, I kind of lead up to the flashback, and then I flash it forwards again. You'll know when the memory stops and the present begins again.**

**To ****McKazekage****: haha, thanks for liking that! I wasn't sure if many people would like the idea... I just wanted to bring in another father to this story. Seemed unfair to make Hiashi practically the only one... To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: hehe, thank you much! :) **

**DISCLAIMER: I'm too poor to even think about owning Naruto. Sadly. D: But the story is mine, and I hope you like it! **

**Reviews? Tell me how I can fix it? And some ideas, maybe about a sequel to this? **

It had been actually Lee's idea to stop for a night, to give their bodies a break. Lee, who was always enthusiastic to rush practically everywhere; who hated resting. Lee suggested that they stop for at least two hours and catch their breaths. "We can't do anything for them if we're all physically exhausted and unable to lift even our fingers," said Lee, standing his ground in front of the group.

Shikamaru glared at him, and then finally sighed at him. "He's right," he finally admitted. "They need us at top form. That means we need to keep upright and completely alright. We need to rest and let our energy come back to us." Shikamaru dropped his bag at his feet, sitting down besides it in a flash. He rubbed his bared shoulder, where his ANBU tattoo was visible. "They're all important to us and I know we all want to get them back ASAP, but we can't do them any help by dying on the way over."

Kiba growled for a moment before sitting down like Shikamaru was. "The trail is clear," he said quietly, "Not only because of Naruto's putrid scent, but also because of the track marks that Hinata's left for us. They're thorough and clear directives. We can afford to rest for a couple of hours."

Ino, for once, held her tongue, choosing to begin gathering wood with Lee. Kankurō sighed, defeated, and pulled his scrolls off of his back, rolling his shoulders. He sat down and put his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. It was an unseasonably cold day, compared to that of the day before; but it was nothing compared to the nighttimes he endured back in Sunagakure.

If it were just him, he would've kept on going; despite the considerable damages he'd be doing his body. But, thankfully for him, these Leaf shinobi were there to stop him from doing that.

Akamaru bumped his giant nose against Kankurō's cheek, making the Sand shinobi crack open an eye to stare down at the dog. Akamaru gave him a low whine under his breath, forcing Kankurō to give him a weak half-smile. "Don't worry about me, I'm good," said Kankurō, rubbing the top of his head. "And don't worry about Hina, she'll be perfectly alright. She's too stubborn to die, and you know that."

"Kankurō's right, Akamaru," agreed Kiba almost instantly. He turned to the silent Shikamaru. "Am I right?"

"Yeah," responded Shikamaru almost silently. "After all, she's not stupid. She'll prolong this as long as she can. If there's anything Hinata's good at, it's maintaining tensions." Akamaru blinked tiredly, nodding his head. He put his giant head on Kiba's lap and fell asleep. Shikamaru waited a few moments to reassure himself that he was truly asleep. "But we do have to hurry up. Hinata can only do so for so long. Tension always builds."

Kankurō growled. "I know; it's why we shouldn't be resting."

"If we don't rest, we'll die," said Kiba realistically. "I love Hinata, you know that, but I can't be there if I'm dead and that'll completely fuck her over. She knows she needs help; she needs us. And you know out of all of us, Kankurō… it's you she'll need the most right now." Kiba sighed. "We're doing the best we can. We even split up into two groups to find them. They're tracking those Akatsuki tracks we found right now, and from my occasional correspondence with Shino's bugs, they're making good headway."

Kankurō sighed. "I know, I know." He trusted these people. They all came to help; they all came to get back these shinobi. Gaara had actually organized the parties, placing himself in one and Kankurō in the other. Kankurō didn't like it, but he understood the need for it: each team needed at least two mid-to-long ranged fighters.

When Kankurō had found out what had happened, he'd been in a quiet corner of the large, airy meeting room of the Kages, crouching down in preparation to attack any type of assassins. Like he'd expected, the meeting had a terse atmosphere: it was rare for all five Kages to meet in one room over one issue: Kabuto. Midway through the 'diplomatic discussion', which was really just non-aggressive arguing; Ino had burst in with information of moles in Konohagakure.

"What're you talking about? How could Kabuto have gotten through the village defenses? And what could he have been doing?" asked Tsunade, standing bolt upright. Kankurō raised an eyebrow, moving forward slightly. He'd known Kabuto was back, it had been blatantly obvious due to all the mishaps. And he had figured there might be moles. But to actually hear there was one…. He flicked a glance over to Gaara, whose eyes were trained on Tsunade in irritation.

"She can't tell us if you're being intimidating," he said, shaking his head at the Hokage, turning to Ino. "Tell me about the mole. As of right now, that mole will answer her questions better than you will." Ino flinched with Gaara's blunt honesty, and even the Raikage winced. _Gaara does not have a light touch, does he? _

"Please, dear, tell us the name of this spy," the Mizukage said soothingly, attempting to salvage the situation.

Ino smiled shakily over at her before her expression once again resumed its uncertainty and apprehension. "It is a Leaf shinobi, and it's one of our top doctors. She attacked Hyūga Neji and I while training a couple of days ago and used a powerful genjutsu on him so he would attack our comrades and take Hyūga Hinata, his own cousin; away from our group. Then this same shinobi—the one who attacked Neji—assaulted me as I was coming back to my body after using my family's jutsu and fragmented all of my memories so I could barely sort through them without having a migraine." She gulped. "It's…" She looked over at Tsunade, and she began to tear up. She hung her head. "Sakura. The mole's Sakura," she sobbed.

Gaara and Tsunade's eyes widened, as did their bodyguards; Genma, Kakashi, and especially Kankurō. Kakashi's eye flicked over to Kankurō stunned face. Kankurō gulped and forced himself from his position. "Kazekage-sama," he whispered, nearing Gaara's ear, bending at the waist. "I must ask that I accompany Yamanaka Ino back to find Sakura to bring her forth to you. I think she is too… distraught to do anything."

"With all due respect, I think you're too emotionally compromised at this moment, Sabaku-sama, to bring in a possible suspect," said Kakashi, instantly in front of Gaara and Kankurō, arms crossed.

Kankurō looked up and glared at the challenger. "The Haruno is a student of Hatake-san; I hardly think it is appropriate. He might show her mercy and turn her loose. Due to the complexity of the situation, it is probably best that someone other than him would go and bring the Haruno to the summit."

"I never suggested myself, Sabaku-san," said Kakashi coolly, "I was thinking of the other bodyguards that have amassed today, but in particular Genma. Genma may know her, but not on a level that you and I do. He would be the perfect one to bring her to us."

"Both of you are acting like petulant children, and it's annoying me," growled Gaara, closing his eyes. "And it is not my decision. We of Sunagakure are nothing more than guests in what is obviously the Hokage's domain. So, it is Tsunade's decision."

Tsunade nodded. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama. Genma, go and get Sakura. Bring her before me. Kakashi and Kankurō, both of you need to leave the room when she gets here. Neither of you are fit for listening to this discussion. Am I understood?" Both offending shinobi muttered their 'yes' in response and she sighed; obviously pissed off by their attitudes. She jerked her head at Genma, signaling him to take Ino with him as he went. He nodded, more than happy to abandon such a terse situation.

Kankurō, once outside of the meeting room, wrung his hands, his anger boiling. It wasn't anger pointed towards Kakashi, towards Gaara, towards Tsunade or even towards Sakura (at first); no, it was anger pointed towards himself. It was _him_ who'd been too oblivious to see that Sakura had obviously gone sour, _him _who'd entrusted Hinata and Neji's care to her, and it was probably even him that had caused this to happen. He growled, gritting his teeth.

Kakashi eyed him. "There's no point in getting pissed, Kankurō."

"I know," barked Kankurō, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Doesn't mean I can't be! Like, what the fuck else am I supposed to? Twiddle my thumbs and sing nursery rhymes while worrying about this shit?" He sighed. "I swore this time around I'd protect her, and someone who's obviously trying to hurt her was sitting _right under my fucking nose!_"

"You don't think I'm pissed at myself? Sakura is my student, for Chrissake's, I should've noticed something!" snapped Kakashi. "But we need to keep calm. Hinata's still in the village, right?"

Kankurō sighed shakily, attempting to release his anger. "Right. Right." He sat down slowly onto the bench. "Yeah, I just saw her last night, and she didn't display any sort of sign of worry. If Sakura were really the mole, she would've made her presence known a while ago, right? She's kind of like Naruto in that respect."

Kakashi nodded, taking Kankurō's initiative and sitting down besides him. "That's a way to think about it. Ino's brain was fried, so… chances are she might've just gotten it wrong."

"Yes," responded Kankurō, nodding empathetically, "Yes, maybe. Sakura's too kind, isn't she? She would never do such a thing…" Both of them continued nodding, trying to ignore the voice in the back of their heads that told them that they were wrong about their presumptions about Sakura. They didn't want their view of the girl to change. For Kankurō, it was not only that she was a friend; but that she actually saved his life on one occasion. For Kakashi, it was that she was not just a student of his, but that whole trio had been the only three to break through his iced-up heart.

Neither of them had wanted to believe she really flipped.

Of course, the evidence to the obvious was blatant when Genma came back with a busted, bleeding bottom lip, a swelling welt below his right eye, and a limp. Genma glared at Kakashi and spat out a tooth into the face of his friend. "I have no idea what you and Tsunade have taught this _bitch_," snapped Genma angrily, drawing their attentions to the fact that he was actually dragging Sakura's limp, unconscious body behind him like a doll; "But whatever it was, I don't fucking like it!"

Kakashi blinked. "I don't think I've ever seen you mad before…" he said slowly.

"It's rare, but it does happen," replied Genma crossly, sticking out his bottom lip to look at the torn, bloodied muscle. "I'm going to take her inside before I bash her head in for doing this to me. Fucking bitch," said Genma, muttering to himself profanities and threats to Sakura's life as he pushed open the door to the summit, dragging in Sakura behind him. From what Kankurō could see, Genma had a reason for complaining like he did, but it wasn't exactly like he hadn't gotten any type of retribution. Sakura looked a hell of a lot worse.

Ino walked silently up, wrapping her arms around herself. Kankurō smiled over at her, and she gave him a wobbly one of her own before she burst into tears; absolutely distraught over the fact that her friend was probably going to be put in prison for traitorous actions. "Hey, hey," whispered Kankurō, walking over to her and putting his hands on her arms. "Don't cry… Ino…"

"Sakura was always so nice," she sobbed, hiccupping as she spoke. "She… she always wanted people to like her, but she was too shy to stand up for herself and convince people that way. So I made her into something like me, but I didn't think that little girl she used to be… that bullied, beaten little girl would make her feel so much hatred or resentment…" She wiped her eyes, but it did nothing. "She didn't fight Genma like the Sakura I know would. She would face her opponents and let them know exactly what they were dealing with. She fought like an angry coward. Just so cowardly… I… it's my fault!"

"Stop it, it's not," whispered Kankurō, "It's probably just a genjutsu…"

She shook her head vigorously. "Someone would've noticed. You know everyone who came from that practice field was given a full examination, Kankurō; even Sakura, who only had a small cut on her head. Genjutsu is the first thing they test for; it was how they got Neji back to normal." Her sobs became harder. "This was all Sakura, and I couldn't stop her! I couldn't help her! She's my best friend, and I did nothing to help her!"

Kankurō stared down at her with pain on his chest, worry in his heart, and absolute anger running through his veins. Pain because of the distraught, hysterical state of the usually excited, happy, and hyperactive Ino. Worry because that if Sakura had been gotten to like this, if she had really been flipped; then Hinata was just not safe in the village. And anger because what Sakura had done was hurting so many people he called comrades. Not just physically, but emotionally. And he didn't want to seem them like this.

He was going to bash her head in before Genma was.

He opened his mouth to say more, but screaming coming from down the hall distracted him. His eyes widened when he saw Akamaru darting down the hall next to Hana frantically, worried beyond all belief. Hana was yelling after the dog, trying to get him to stop moving forwards so quickly. For probably what was the first time in his life, Akamaru ignored her, running to and tackling Kankurō the moment he let go of Ino, confused. Akamaru stood on his chest, staring down at his friend's face with absolute fear in his eyes. Kankurō ignored the back pain caused by his fall and rubbed him behind his ears. "Akamaru, what's wrong? What's the matter?"

Hana caught up, panting as if she'd just ran a marathon. She held out her hand in the universal 'stop all questions' sign, putting a hand on her knee so she could bend over and catch her breath. "It's Hinata," she finally managed to say, "Hinata, Sasuke, Naruto, and a cousin of Shikamaru's, actually." She stood up, looking Kankurō in the eye. "They're gone, Kankurō! All four of them, gone!"

Kakashi's head snapped up, and his skin paled. "Nara Shikaru is gone?" he sputtered. Hana nodded, bending at the waist once more to catch her breath some more. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_!" he said, putting his head in his hands. Kankurō watched with curiosity. Quicker than he imagined he could move, Kakashi pulled Akamaru off of Kankurō, crouching in front of the dog. "You, Hana, and the rest of the Inuzuka clan have to go find their scents, now! They're all together, so just worry about one! Go, now!" he ordered, obviously frightening the dog.

"Kakashi…" began Hana in a low, threatening voice, "You do not speak to my dogs that way…"

"Hana, usually I would give a half of a shit, but right now I don't! Sakura has just basically weaponized Kabuto far more than you would comprehend right now… _fuck!_" he spat again. "We need to find them, and we need to find them quickly! Now for once, don't argue with me and _go find those shinobi!_"

* * *

"Hey, Kankurō; grub is up," said Kiba gruffly, handing the Sand shinobi a cup of ramen. Kankurō smiled softly, thinking of the endless stores that Naruto had managed to give Gaara once they became friends. Every time they left the village, it seemed that they only ate instant ramen. Sickening at first; it now brought the slightest element of reality to the happenings around him. It wasn't a real mission now unless he had a hot cup of ramen to 'feast' on. Ino handed him two chopsticks, and he began to eat in the uncomfortable silence that was their group.

"We can move right after we finish," Kiba began.

"It's almost nighttime. We should at the very least rest some before moving. Get some sleep," said Shikamaru.

"We're practically a day behind them, Shikamaru. While it was a good idea to stop and replenish, we don't want them to get further away by prolonging our stay," responded Kiba with ice in his tone. He was getting impatient and more worried.

"Did Shino give you an update?" asked Kankurō.

"I gave him. I'm sure he's received it by now," said Kiba, "I told him that we've stopped for a couple, and I'd let them know when we were moving again so we could do the same. I really think people should be looking for them at all times, and if I'm right they're probably pushing themselves to their limits doing our job, as well." He flexed his jaw. "So I'd like it if we could continue moving. I have some soldier pills we can take, if we need the energy…"

"I understand your concerns—I feel the same way," said Shikamaru authoritatively, "But think about this. None of the four of them will be harmed; they're needed for something. And I doubt they've even gotten to wherever they're going yet. Would an hour's sleep do us any harm, Kiba?"

Kiba opened his mouth, but was distracted by a flittering bug in his vision. He stuck out his finger, allowing the insect to land peacefully on his fingernail. He watched as the bug bit into him, wincing slightly at the pinch, and allowed the insect to convey the message through his chakra system so he could respond. He hated that the bug did that, but he understood that since he wasn't an Aburame of any sort, the insect couldn't communicate with him like it might with Shino. So he waited impatiently for his chakra to translate the message and send it to his mind.

And he wished he didn't receive it at all.

"Shikamaru, for once, I get to say you're wrong," he said softly, shivering. "Shino and his group just passed through the last camp of the group. They not only identified the scent of Naruto, but they also identified the scent of one of Sasuke's old lackeys, Hōzuki Suigetsu… a member of the Akatsuki. They're tracking the scent right now, and Shino feels that they need back up. He's also scent several bugs to the Kages to notify them of the gravity of the situation, to let them know that it's true."

The group jumped to their feet, dropping the cups of instant ramen and putting out the fire, not caring that they left remains of their presence as they gathered up their things once more, pulling it onto their backs as they jumped back into the trees. Kiba threw a soldier pill at each of them, and promised to give one an hour. Kankurō chewed and swallowed the tiny pill, focused and intent.

_That bitch… _he thought, thinking about Sakura once again. By the time Sakura's 'trial' (more accurately, harsh interrogation by five village heads) her entire group of friends had gathered, save for those who had left. Kiba was a mess, so worried about Sakura and so angry at her at the same time. That had been what had hurt Kankurō the most, he thought. To see so obviously that he had a thing for Sakura, and she did such a thing to his closest friend, to someone he considered to be a sister; pained him to no end.

Tsunade finally opened the door, allowing the small group that had amassed enter the room. Sakura sat in a chair, hands bound behind her back, her green eyes insincerely sorry for her actions until spotting Kankurō. They softened, and she opened her lips. "Kankurō, help me!"

Kankurō blinked, somewhere in the middle of anger and surprise. "Why is she…?"

Tsunade's lips twitched. "You didn't even know about this? My, this is interesting." She glared over at her now _former _student. Kankurō knew that if anyone should feel betrayed, it was her—Ino had told him that Sakura had said that Tsunade had taught her the genjutsu she'd used on Neji on the terms that she never used it. Sakura had broken that promise, and not only that she used it to attack and destroy the village and its shinobi, not to defend her comrades. "Sakura, tell them what you told us. Tell them why you did what you did."

Sakura gasped. "Tsunade…"

"Tell them!" snapped Gaara, surprising Kankurō with the amount of pure anger that was in his voice. _Whatever it is, it's bad…_ "Tell them why you decided you had to follow Yakushi Kabuto's orders and betray the confidence of your teacher, and not only that; your vow to your village! Tell them why you willingly gave your two teammates over to the Akatsuki!" He glared at her. "Tsunade will not help you! Now speak before I kill you!"

"I…" Sakura swallowed and closed her eyes. "Kabuto promised I would get to have Sabaku nō Kankurō all to myself if I gave him Hinata, Shikaru, Sasuke, and Naruto." Kankurō stiffened when he heard his name being uttered, eyes widening. _Is she saying… she put her friends to a fate that is basically death… in order to have me…? Is she saying that basically, their blood is not on her hands… but on my own…? _He looked down at his gloved hands, his kanji burn hurting more every second. _No… no… _"Kankurō, I love you, I have since I healed you! Why don't you forget about Hinata and…"

"Don't even finish," he finally growled, clenching his fist. Sakura's eyes widened. "Don't you dare say you love me."

"But… I do…"

"No, you don't, you stupid little cunt," he finally yelled, reaching his breaking point. He ran to her and yanked her to a standing position, not caring if she yelped out in pain. He slapped her, not caring if it were stupid or looked down upon to smack a woman. In his mind, she deserved it. "You're fucking crazy is what you are, Sakura! How can you sit here and honestly think that getting rid of your own friends, who are my friends too; make me want to _be with you_?! Especially when one of those friends of yours happens to be the love of my fucking life?!"

"She doesn't love you like I do," she sobbed, "She's nothing special, Kankurō… she's not even pretty…!" She was broken off by Kankurō's hand, being slapped once more.

"She's everything you're not!" he yelled into her face. "She's a hell of a lot smarter than you, for instance! And what man wouldn't want to wake up to a woman as kind, yet as fierce every morning? What man wouldn't want to hear that soft voice berate them when they do something especially stupid?! What man wouldn't want to be with a woman you know can beat the shit out of anyone, including your own self? What man would give up the woman who changed their life for someone who thinks that the only way to fix a one-sided love is not to get over it, but to ruin the life of the object of their affections?!" He pushed her away, now feeling sickened by her presence. He turned on his heel, starting for the door. "You better hope that she's in one piece, Sakura! Because if I find her, and she's hurt…" He looked over his shoulder at the pink-haired kunoichi that only three hours ago he called a friend, "I will come back and I will kill you myself."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Of Traitors, Part Two

**So, here it is! Sadly, no KankHina moments, nor is there any Shikaru... sorry if anybody was looking forwards to that, really. Also, it's not really all that 'sweet', to be honest. No, this chapter is terse and kind of fucked at the end. But it had to be done. This isn't the last bit of 'Of Traitors'. There is only one more part to this before I move on. And, I must announce that this is going to end soon. Probably in ten chapters or so? Not sure yet. But it will end soon. **

**Three reviews for the last chapter! YAY! X) To ****McKazekage****: I didn't make her into THAT much of a bitch, did I? If I did, it honestly was not on purpose... and no, no rehabilitation at the end (I hate it when authors do that, it won't make me hate the character any less). To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: Genma is a pretty damn cool guy! I knew I couldn't have been alone in that...! Hehe, I'm glad you like how Gaara is! And glad to know the backflashes aren't confusing... To ****mrstoy****: hehe, I'm glad you liked it! I kind of liked writing that rant, to be completely honest! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own, nor will I ever own, Naruto. I do own this story and the characters of Shikaru and Shizuka. **

**ENJOY IT! I hope I don't lose anybody with what I've written! **

The last thing that anyone would want to do would be to anger Hyūga Hiashi. The idea was both preposterous and dangerous; to provoke the head of the Hyūga clan. And the worst thing to do would be to provoke the same man twice. Double the fire; double the fury. Yet, in all of the history of the modern shinobi world, nobody had ever managed to successfully piss off Hyūga Hiashi _three_ times.

Firstly had been Neji's attack. To hear his nephew, a boy he considered to be his son and his only living remnant of his late brother; had been attacked and nearly turned mad had been something that caused Hiashi to break a couple of dishes and completely demolish a couch, much to the dismay of the servants of the Hyūga. That had him completely ready to harm an actual human being.

Secondly, Hanabi's injuries due to the genjutsu placed on Neji had been something that didn't help his mood. To hear his youngest daughter, his baby; had been nearly coughing up her insides had made him mad, more so when she had almost been barred from ever continuing her duty as a shinobi. That had caused him to rip a hole in the ceiling of the complex and nearly break the back of an elderly maid. At that point, he was ready to kill.

The last thing had been when it became clear that his eldest daughter, his heir, had been practically chased out of Konohagakure in order to protect her clan. No father wants to hear that their children are doing something to protect them when it is their job, as their parents. No father wants to know that the entire clan had been endangered if she hadn't left. And he _definitely_ didn't want to hear that it was the _same person _who had fucked with his family.

At this point, he was propagating war.

"Hiashi, have you gone mad?" said Tsunade, eyes wide at the powerful clan head's theory. She, and the other Kages, each called a meeting of their prominent clans. Each was held in different rooms, knowing that they might need the privacy of conversation amongst one another. She knew that the others might have an easy time conversing with their clan heads, especially Temari (who had been called in to serve as proxy for Gaara for the summit), who's fearsome demeanor and no-nonsense attitude had probably already frightened the clans of Suna into doing what she wanted.

Tsunade, by no means, had such an easy time. This was probably the first time that she would ever have to converse with her prominent clan heads in one room, and she honestly had no idea how to. But, right now, they all were head-strong and in the voice for war. She had nothing against the idea, but she just wasn't sure if they were doing it for the right reasons. After all, this matter was personal with Hiashi in particular.

"Why are you jinxing it, Tsunade?" asked Chōza, "This will probably be the only time Hiashi will ever be in agreement with us over a topic."

She sighed, flicking a glance around the table. Inuzuka Tsume was usually the one who was the most blood thirsty, and she had heard than in his life Uchiha Fugaku had been as well. But she looked like nothing more than an angry puppy compared to Hiashi, whose pale pupil-less eyes held nothing more than pure bloodlust. He filled the room with pure and raw killing intent. His entrance had made even Tsume flinch with fear.

"The Akatsuki has fucked with my clan," he growled, his tone fearsome. All clan heads, even Aburame Shibi, blinked at Hiashi's use of vulgarity. "They have earned a formal declaration of war from my clan. We are all prepping for a war as we speak." He gave an angry, evil smirk. "Even if the rest of you were to refuse a war declaration, an informal war would pursue. We will have retribution." Tsunade shivered subconsciously. _To even think that SAKURA was the cause of this…_

"Hell, I'm definitely in," said Shikaku. He seemed unusually lively and angry, completely aware and exceptionally thoughtful. "Even if my nephew was not in this situation, I would be in. The Akatsuki has to be put down. This situation is far beyond that of a simple search party, Tsunade."

"I agree. This is an act of war," said Tsume, "They decided to flip one of our shinobi, and not only that; but take four of them as well." She crossed her arms. "I know that if Uchiha's were here, they'd be saying exactly what we are speaking of. Shit, they'd be most prepared right now." She growled. "All of the villages are probably preparing for war. Especially Sunagakure, due to the relationship between their 'prince' and the Hyūga heiress. Both of our villages are probably the most blood-thirsty right now."

Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Shizune, who opened the door on the meeting. She seemed out of breath, but more importantly, scared to high heaven. Tsunade's head snapped up to her assistant's, looking at the girl with nothing more than concern. "Shizune, what is the matter?!"

"T-There is a man out there demanding entrance to the summit!" Shizune said worriedly. Tsunade's brow furrowed, she hardly thought that this was something she had to know about. Lots of men came to demand entrance to the summit of the clans, and Shizune was supposed to turn them away. So why was she so worried?

"Turn him away; we're busy," said Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, you don't understand!" said Shizune. "This man claims to be Uchiha Shisui!" Tsunade's blood boiled as she turned; infuriated with the idea that someone would masquerade as the long-dead Uchiha. Shikaku's eyebrow raised at the thought that _Shisui_, dead for eight years now, would even be there.

"Turn him away, he's obviously a fake!" yelled Tsunade.

"Why, how rude."

The clan leaders flinched at the sound of the new voice, all of them turning away from Shizune to look behind Tsunade. There stood a long-haired man, arms crossed over his chest; cloaked in oversized jackets. Tsunade's eyes widened to see the man, who had been so silent. _When did he… HOW did he…? _

"Lady Tsunade, I believe? It is a pleasure to be honored enough to meet a legendary Sannin," said the man, bowing; obviously ignorant to the tension in the room. "I wish the occasion was cordial at the moment, but sadly, it isn't." He slipped his oversized jacket, revealing a very physically fit body, but most importantly, a shirt which had the Uchiha fan on the breast. Moving slowly, he felt his way around the room, showing them that he was, in fact, blind. "I believe that this is a summit of the clans of Konohagakure, correct? I think it would be unjust if the Uchiha went unrepresented." He touched the back of each chair, checking to see if it were empty. He sighed in relief to find on empty, slipping into it.

Shikaku stared, wide-eyed. "Are you… really…?"

He tilted his head. "Is that Nara Shikaku? Isn't this a sight for sore eyes… so to speak," he said, smirking. His fingers moved upwards to his sunglasses, toying with them for a second before tilting them down to reveal eyeless sockets, making the clan leaders all shiver with distaste and fear. "I wish I could see you with my eyes, Shikaku-sama… but alas." He leaned back in his chair. "It's come to my attention, from several grape lines; that the Akatsuki has been given Uchiha Sasuke, as well as a child from your clan, Shikaku… and I think the heiress of the Hyūga, if I'm not mistaken. And, most threateningly, they have acquired Uzumaki Naruto.

"I have come with the assumptions that this meeting is one to officially declare warfare upon the Akatsuki. Not that it matters, but I am here to give the Uchiha clan's vote on the matter. Our vote is a whole-hearted 'yes'."

"The Uchiha clan… is dead…" said Tsume slowly.

Shisui looked in her general direction, smiling softly. "Endangered, maybe," he said, shaking his head, "But not dead. There is no way in hell I would allow my clan to die so easily. We reside in a small shit town on the edge of the Land of Fire. We are about ten or so in number, and we have remained inconspicuous for all this time, under the belief that our ideals were not needed in the modern shinobi world."

"Why come back now, then?" asked Shibi.

He sighed. "I did mention a clansman of mine is in danger, correct? This became a matter of the Uchiha when our living heir was taken. Sasuke is in danger; fuck keeping out of politics due to old-school ideologies. This war needs some old ideas, I believe…" He smirked. "If Sasuke is harmed, we want blood in retribution. If no formal war is declared, we will shed blood on our own."

_Sounds a lot like what Hiashi said, _thought Tsunade, flicking a glance at Shikaku, who glanced back with worry evident in his features. _But how much worse would this get if he knew that 'member of Shikaku's clan' was, in fact, his own son…? I have no choice but to go to war now…_

Shisui 'looked' at Hiashi now. "Hiashi-san… if I may… can I ask a simple question of you?"

"What is it?" he asked gruffly.

"How long have you known of your daughter's illegitimacy to any claim she can make on the Hyūga compound?" he asked, knowing he was overstepping major boundaries. Hiashi's chakra spiked in fury, and Tsunade's eyes widened. _What is Shisui trying to say? What is he even doing?_ "By your reaction, I take it that you've known a while."

"What do you mean illegitimacy?" asked Tsume, confused. "Hinata is his first-born daughter! She is a Hyūga of the Main house."

"She isn't a full Hyūga," said Shisui, his tone obviously directed at Hiashi. "I assume you know by now that she has the ability to use Wood-styled ninjutsu." Tsunade's eyes seemed to pop out of her head now. How could Shisui know what she didn't until a couple of days ago? How was it even possible? It made no sense. But she didn't have time to contemplate it, due to the fact that Hiashi activated his Byakugan, ready to tackle the man across from him on the table.

"How do _you _know?" growled Hiashi.

Shisui's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch. "I have spies. What surprises me is your tone, Hiashi-sama. I did not know about her ninjutsu abilities until a couple of weeks ago, but it sounds as if you've known for years, Hiashi-sama. How many years, to be specific? And don't splice words—this is an important matter."

Hiashi sighed, defeated. "I've known since I started her training, when she was three years old. She does not remember it, but it was the first time she'd ever harmed me. She accidentally used a Wood-styled technique, making a tree we still have growing strong in the complex sprout and wrap around my leg, breaking it at the knee. I still have the scars from the branches on my leg."

"Why did you not tell anyone?" asked Shikaku.

"To raise the topic would make the elders of my clan question her legitimacy. They would have experimented on her, or worse; sell her for profit. My daughter does not deserve such a treatment," said Hiashi, closing his eyes. "If they knew of her illegitimacy, which would mean that all her hard work would be for naught. They would use her as a slave to take over the village, which is something nobody would need. She is destined for greater things than that, than to be nothing more than means to an end."

"But… how is she illegitimate? Is she not your daughter?" asked Shikaku, confused.

"She is my daughter, yes. But my clan mandates that only those of pure Hyūga blood can become a clan leader, which neither Hinata nor Hanabi are." He sighed now. "Their mother's grandmother was a bastard child of Senju Hashirama. It was a scandal that went unproved, due to the fact that he quickly married Uzumaki Mito. The child never even showed signs of being able to use Wood ninjutsu, which had seemed to disprove the scandal further. And then people forgot of the scandal. My wife never even thought twice of the truth of it until Hinata displayed the natural affinity to Wood."

* * *

Sakura sat in the corner of her cell, arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her pink hair was covered with grime already, and her arms dotted with yellow-and-purple bruises, and her cheek was incredibly sore due to the pain of Kankurō's slaps. _Why did he… refuse me? Why did he… why does he hate me…? Has she really made him that blind…? Doesn't he see that he belongs with me, not her…? _

"Hello, Sakura." She stiffened at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, and then chose to ignore it, still turned from her sudden visitor. She hadn't spoken in two days, to anybody. Not even to her parents, who had begged her to think about what she had done. She had nothing left to say; all she could do was think. And all she could think about was the fact that Kankurō wasn't hers, like Kabuto had promised he would be.

"Sakura."

Now she was ticked off. Couldn't they take a hint? She wanted to think about Kankurō, not some annoying little interrogator who wanted information about Kabuto and the Akatsuki. She refused to rat him out. What was so hard to understand about that?

"Sakura."

"Buzz the fuck off, bastard," she finally growled, not turning around.

"Now that I have acknowledgement," continued the person snidely, "I want to tell you something. I want to tell you a story. I want to tell you about this kid. This really shy kid who everyone picked on. A civilian orphan, in fact, who was given a chance to join the Academy. At first, this orphan had gotten the same treatment from these shinobi kids like he did from the civilians. And it was hell, to deal with that day after day. To be all alone. Do you know what that feels like, Sakura? To be truly alone for years?

"Well, anyways, that kid, that lonely kid; made his first friend at the Academy. He didn't do it on purpose; in fact he was almost against it. But this girl forced him to become friends with her. This girl who was polite to her elders, but a complete and total tomboy down to her very bone. She didn't know what loneliness was, what it meant; the burdens it brought, but here was the weirdest thing: she was completely unafraid to shoulder them. She stuck by that kid and ignored the fact that she lost her other friends because of it. She didn't care. She said once that no one deserves to feel that way because someone is afraid of the unknown.

"And, suddenly, that orphan boy didn't feel alone anymore, and it felt like the burden was gone. From that day forth, he felt indebted to her. He wanted—no, needed; he needed to protect her. He began to stand his ground when bullies came to hurt him, to hurt her. He had begun to fight back. He grew with the need to protect this girl; his only friend.

"When these two graduated from the Academy, they met a boy being swallowed by his own loneliness and demons. He wouldn't say anything to them about needing help, needing other people. He refused to be pitied or helped. Of course, being on a team together, he couldn't stop them. Slowly, but surely, these two kids 'adopted' that tortured boy into their make-shift family. They both took some of the weight off of his shoulders. They made that kid see that he didn't have to be alone just because he wasn't normal.

"The three, now four due to their Jōnin teacher; who they all imagined to be like an older brother, decided that they would protect each other when no one else could. Why not, right? After all, life can be vicious on a person. All of them knew that. But… not a one suspected that the most vicious of people could be those close to one of them. Close to their sensei, specifically."

Sakura's throat went dry. "Are you… talking about… Naruto?"

"Ding, ding, ding; you win the prize!" said the person sarcastically, their voice filled with venom. "Can you guess which who this is then, speaking to you?"

"You're… Shizuka?"

"Correct," said the Genin, smirking angrily at Sakura's back. "And let me tell you, you picked the wrong Genin troop to fuck around with, Haruno Sakura!" He hit the bars with a kunai, making her jump. "Hanabi is crying right now. She's sick with worry over Naruto and Shikaru… especially Shikaru. She doesn't know it, really; but she loves him. Anyone can see it, but she doesn't know it. And I'm happy for her. I'm happy that she found somebody to love. And I'm happy for him too, because he deserves someone like her. But now… you've screwed them up. Hanabi needs him, and you let a little bit of jealousy take you over because you're a bitch!"

"I… I…"

"Don't speak to me, just listen," Shizuka growled. "I have never been this angry with anyone. I've never even ranted at anyone until today." He paused. "You've caused a war, you know. We can pretend all that we want that the war was going to come, but at the end of the day, everyone knows that it was _you _and your little jealousy that caused this. And any deaths on either side will be on your conscious. And, quite frankly, I'm glad it's all on you." He scratched the bars with the kunai. "Because it'll drive you mad, just like what you tried to do to Neji. You'll have to live with it, and I know that you're the type of weakling who can't cope. You'll dishonor yourself by committing suicide, and I will be there to hand you the blade. Because you deserve the dishonor."

* * *

Shizuka closed the door to the jail cells behind him, sighing in relief. It seemed surreal, what he had just done. He'd never spoken his mind to anybody like that before. He'd never actually said what he hoped would happen to someone, at least not the truth of what he thought. He really did think that Sakura deserved to die for what she'd done. She destroyed families with her actions. She destroyed people; people close to him.

"Lady Tsunade was told you were here," said a guard, coming up to him, "And I was told to give you this." He handed him a hitai-ate with the kanji of _shinobi _carved into its metal face. "It is the symbol of what the Kages are calling the Allied Shinobi Forces." Shizuka nodded, slowly undoing the bandana of his Leaf hitai-ate, replacing it with that of the Forces' headband on his forehead.

"I take it I am on the battlefield, even as a Genin," he said quietly.

"She had the feeling that if she didn't allow this, then she would've had a mutiny on her hands from Lady Hanabi. To be honest, I believe it is the Hyūga's will—Lord Hiashi wants you to fight beside him on the front lines, with the Hyūga clan." Shizuka blinked, slightly surprised that a prominent figure might want him to fight beside him. But, like a true shinobi, he hid his surprise quickly, keeping his face stony.

_I promised I'd protect you, Hanabi. This is just me, fulfilling that promise._

* * *

"Hiashi, do you really think it's a good idea to bring in Hanabi's teammate?" said Tsunade uncertainly after the messenger left with the hitai-ate that Temari had developed within hours of the decision being made. "I mean, he's eleven, after all…"

"And Hanabi is ten. I fail to see your point," said Hiashi.

"He's too young to be on the battlefield. Hanabi is not on it."

"Hanabi is not on it because she is injured, Tsunade, not because I think she is too young. And I am not forcing this boy to join me. If I had a choice, I would definitely refuse to allow him. But I don't have a choice, and we need all the shinobi we have for this battle."

"I think you should leave him be… he has a whole life ahead of him…"

"He does. It makes me feel like shit to chance taking it away from him, but I know he'd fight tooth and nail if he were to be given no chance. Besides, you have not seen him fight. He is probably the most radical one out of our entire village. When his loved ones are threatened, the boy does not know how to hold back." Hiashi opened the bandana so that it wrapped around the top of his head tight. "Perhaps we need the slightest bit of that during this."

"I don't need psychopaths."

"I never called him a psychopath, Tsunade," said Hiashi, shaking his head and turning away from her, walking away to prepare his clansmen for the upcoming war. "When you're lonely for so long and then one person finally notices you, it makes you want to do anything to protect that person, even if it means harming people you once might consider to be a comrade. Love after loneliness is a dangerous thing, Lady Tsunade. Do it well to remember that."

**I usually don't write at the end, but I have to say this: I do believe what I made Hiashi say. Loneliness is a horrible thing to feel, and receiving love after all that can make a person's ideas of retribution really... skewed, I guess the word is. While I'm not sure they'd be nearly so radical as Shizuka is, I just... I don't know. It could be possible. But tell me what you think of him- too messed up? I'm willing to fix it...**

**Until next time... **


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Of Traitors, Part Three

**WARNING: If you have not read Naruto chapters 512 to the current chapters; I will be spoiling it for you! I will be drawing inspiration from those chapters, though I don't use that storyline specifically. I kind of start the spoiler with this chapter, but it's going to get more full-out! So go find a free online manga reader and start reading those chapters of Naruto, dammit! I don't like ruining stuff... **

**Now that I have ranted enough, I want to thank you guys for getting me to this point! Honestly, if it weren't for you guys, I really doubt that I would've really developed this. So, thanks all, both reviewers, followers, or just casual readers. Thanks for sticking with this. **

**To ****McKazekage****: thanks much :D I hoped it worked. I thought I might've made her too cruel, maybe... To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: I agree! It's not exactly like Hiashi was a total asshole all the time! And don't cry! **

"Hyūga, you need to get up," said the soft voice of Jūgo to the only female prisoner on the premises of the Akatsuki hide out. Hinata sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. She appreciated the fact that Jūgo managed to get her small group about an hour or so of sleep before they let Kabuto loose on them. She understood that if he had a choice, he would free them—he didn't want to see them get hurt. He wasn't that kind of person. Jūgo smiled softly at her, opening the door of the cell. Hinata got up slowly, feeling a cracking in her joints. She knew she was still exhausted, but Jūgo had gotten her all that she could.

"Thank you, Jūgo-san," she whispered, smiling back at the tall nineteen-year-old. It still startled her to know that he was only a year older than her Kankurō. He looked like he was at least thirty!

"I just wish I got you more time, Hyūga-chama. You all looked exhausted when we came in. I think it would have been best to face Kabuto awake, because the scariest thing about him is wondering what he'll do to you when you close your eyes." Jūgo shivered subconsciously and forced another small smile. "I apologize if I've just worried you any. I swear, it was not my intention."

"Do not worry about it," she responded, rubbing his large arm in reassurance. She went on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush lightly in surprise and embarrassment. "I already am afraid of him. I can't fear him any more than I already do." He nodded at her point, deciding to begin walking again. They walked in silence for a good few moments before she decided to say, "Jūgo, do you think there will be a war over this?"

Jūgo nodded. "I would much rather not think about it, but yes. Yes, I'm almost certain that what is going on is going to start a war." He looked up at the ceiling. "It makes me wish that we were civilians sometimes. Then wars would be other people's problems."

"You are afraid."

"Yes, I am. I don't like to see people be harmed, and I don't like knowing that it is our hands which cause this sort of pain. It hurts to know that it is us, the soldiers; that causes the suffering of many."

"People would be hurt either way. It is just a matter of which side one is on—the one harming, or the one protecting. And I hope you can pick the right side, because this… this is not the side you belong to. You're a protector, I know it. You don't want to harm." She looked up the hallway to see Sasuke waiting for her. It was obvious to see that he didn't need any escort. "Please think about what I am saying, Jūgo-san, and please make the right decision."

Jūgo nodded. "I… I promise… Hinata-sama…"

"Please, do not call me 'sama'. It makes me feel very old and worthy of such a title." She stuck out her tongue slightly, smiling despite what was very obviously unease. "Please, just call me Hinata."

"Then, just call me Jūgo," he responded slightly, surprising himself with his ability to converse with the girl. He had never spoken so easily, so candidly; with any person since Kimimaro's death. _I thought Sasuke was like Kimimaro in his will, but… this girl reminds me of him with her patience and kindness, as well as stubbornness to some extent… _He watched as her lips tipped upwards into a slow, small smile; and he thought that she was one unusual girl, even compared to Karin.

But, for some strange reason… he liked her.

"Deal."

* * *

Sasuke watched on as Jūgo spoke with Hinata, knowing he was seeing an odd sight. He knew that Jūgo was kind and civil (to a point), but one thing he was definitely _not_ had to be _conversational_. He hated speaking; hated small talk. Jūgo didn't want to waste his words where it was unnecessary. And Hinata wasn't exactly one to speak at lengths, either, especially to people she did not really know. Hell, it had taken years for her to finally allow herself to engage in an actual conversation with him, and he'd had to try and take over the village to induce it! But to see them both speaking with one another was a sight never before seen. Sasuke thought that he would sooner see a unicorn shitting rainbows and dango before he would see either of them engaged in polite and slightly friendly talks with an 'enemy'.

Hinata caught Sasuke's eye and blushed, slightly embarrassed at the fact that Sasuke was gaping at her. She waved her goodbye to Jūgo and walked over to him, biting her bottom lip. "Sasuke, why are you staring at me like I have five heads?"

"You were… talking," said Sasuke dumbly.

"Umm… yes, Sasuke, I am a fully functioning human being," she said slowly. "And last time I checked, I talk to you all the time."

"That's not what I meant!" he snapped, irritated. She giggled, knowing she pissed him off slightly. "What I meant was, you were talking to someone you hardly know without even thinking much of it. You were comfortable being near… _Jūgo_." He just couldn't understand. He had nothing against Jūgo; it was just that most people were afraid of him.

"Well, of course. He is a person who is also very capable of holding a conversation, and besides; he's very polite. I think he is a very kind person. I know on the way here Shikaru was speaking about how he found Jūgo to be a very good person," said Hinata. She shrugged. "I don't see how it matters, anyways, Sasuke. Why do you care so much?"

"I'm not sure." He sighed. "I just… I think I'm regretful right now."

"Regretful?"

"Yeah. I… I fucked up with life, royally," he sighed, defeated. "I did not use it in a way that would make Itachi particularly proud of me. And I also did nothing to avenge my clan… it doesn't change that they're all dead. Beyond that, I'm probably on the wrong side of what feels like the beginning of another shinobi war."

She gave a small smile. "So, you feel it too, huh?"

"Yeah," said Sasuke in a one-word response, looking up at the ceiling. "You know, Hinata, if a war starts and if we die… I want you to know that I'm sorry if I was ever an ass to you when we were younger. I honestly didn't mean anything by it."

She snickered softly. "It's okay, Sasuke; you were an ass to everyone."

He wrinkled his brow. "Thank you…?"

"You're welcome." She sighed gently; turning slightly to look at the door behind Sasuke's turned back. "I… we should go in there, shouldn't we? We can't avoid him forever."

It was now Sasuke's turn to sigh. "I know." Without holding back, he wrapped his fingers around her hand. He blushed slightly at the contact he was making with her, expecting her to push him away. He just needed the touch of another person, a person who cared about him. A friend. He knew he didn't deserve it, after the things he had done. But he needed it, and oddly enough Hinata seemed to understand it, squeezing his hand gently.

And, together, they moved to face what was coming to them.

* * *

Kabuto rubbed his bloodied hands on the dirtied apron, proud of the work he'd done. Experimentation and alterations made to the human body had always intrigued him deeply; the excitement had only become sadistic upon meeting Orochimaru. Kabuto was, and always would be, psychopath when it came to 'biological enhancements'.

He kind of scared Suigetsu, to be honest.

The boy who'd taken Suigetsu's sword lay on the operating table, his body slick with sweat and smeared with his own blood. Kabuto finished stitching up the incision he had made to his head, close to his eye socket. Suigetsu wasn't completely sure what Kabuto had done, nor did he have a great interest in knowing it. He just knew that whatever it was, it was probably a sick thing to do. He bit his lip, ignoring the pain caused by his shark-like teeth on the fragile flesh. The room Kabuto used was a crude medical room, with tools that probably weren't as sterile as a normal hospital might be. Not that Kabuto cared about that—the less sterility, the more pain he got to see.

Yes, he truly was a sick, crazy person, Suigetsu had finally decided it. There was something deeply and troublingly wrong with Kabuto, and the fact that he, Suigetsu, was able to identify it made Kabuto's brand of psychotic even worse.

"Take him; make sure you wrap up his eyes. I'm done with him," said Kabuto carelessly. "Allow him to rest for at least a day and a half before you give him over to 'Madara' to play around with. I don't want him dying and getting blamed for it." Suigetsu nodded, happy for any excuse to leave the room. He picked up the sweaty, bloody kid, putting him onto his back in order to carry him properly. The kid twitched, his brow still furrowed. Suigetsu had a feeling that the drugs Kabuto had given him had done nothing to truly knock him unconscious for the procedure, and he knew that was the worse thing in the world—to know what was happening and be unable to stop it.

_Poor little bastard. _

He knew of the kid's true name now, as well of his famed nickname. He remembered hearing that name as a kid and fantasizing about meeting the Bloodied Demon himself. To see that the Demon was younger than himself did nothing to damper that deep respect for him, nor did the fact that he seemed to want to 'reform'. He didn't quite understand it, either. Why would anybody give up ripping people apart? But Suigetsu was enough of a fan that he actually respected him more for wanting to change himself.

So he felt bad that they were going to use this kid to do something he obviously didn't want to do.

"Suigetsu." He turned to see Jūgo walking up alongside of him, calmly assessing the situation. "Is that… the kid from earlier?"

"Shikaru-sama," corrected Suigetsu, frowning at his comrade. _The Demon changed his name; Jūgo should acknowledge it! _

Jūgo nodded. "Shikaru-sama. I apologize. Either way, do you know what Kabuto did to him?"

"No." Suigetsu shifted him on his back. "And I'll tell you one thing that's for damned sure, and it's that I don't wanna know." He sighed. "All I know is that whatever he did to him has something to do with that Hyūga girl, the one he was so nutso over."

"Is she…?"

"Dead? Nah, she's not. In fact, she and that Uzumaki guy were the only two left in Kabuto's little shop of horror. I dunno what he's gonna do to them, but I doubt it'll be pretty. I don't even wanna picture what he'll do. But I bet it'll pale in comparison to what the leader's planning to do with that creepy-ass statue."

Jūgo nodded, understanding Suigetsu's point. Neither of them was especially happy to be in the Akatsuki; they both found it to be something that was probably a good idea in the beginning but what was now a horrid, disgusting mess of pure demonic intentions. Oftentimes, Jūgo found himself wondering if the tailed beasts he found himself looking for were really the demons, or if it were truly the man with the orange mask that he simply called 'the leader'.

He looked at the troubled face of the kid on Suigetsu's back; Shikaru. When he had heard his story, he didn't find it exciting or intriguing. No, he found it sad. He pitied that kid that he was like him, like Jūgo; and he pitied him more so when he learned that his mother had engineered him that way. It just seemed that the kid had the rotted end of life, and it just wasn't looking better for him. And, the worst part was… Jūgo knew that he had the same end. And he knew that he just took every horrible thing life decided to give him. He had even begun to believe he deserved it.

It was then he made up his mind. He was intent on changing this kid's life, as well as his own. As soon as he left Suigetsu to continue on his way, Jūgo completely left the Akatsuki behind. He knew what he was doing was sure to bring about his death, but he didn't care. He just knew that he needed to do it.

_I will join the side that protects._

* * *

Kankurō looked down at the headband of the Allied Shinobi Forces, reading the scribed kanji word on the metal. _Shinobi. _Not the symbol of Sunagakure and not even the symbol of any particular country. Just that kanji word that seemed to hold more weight than ever at this moment, on that headband.

"We are all shinobi. We are not of one village, or town, or country as of right now. This is the time we all need to band together as one, under one name: SHINOBI."Gaara had made this speech to them after connecting with a group of multiple shinobi, after getting word of the decision. His words had livened up the entire camp.

Kankurō just couldn't believe that only four days ago, he was lying in bed with Hinata. Now he was staring down at this black headband, preparing to enter a war that had been made after she had been taken away from him. _She would find this positively ridiculous, wouldn't she? _Kankurō wondered, thinking of his quiet love. _She would hate that she would be one of the causes of fuss… _To be completely honest, Kankurō hated it as well. He hated that his love was taken, and he hated that these were the measures he would have to take to get her back.

But he loved her enough—no, more than enough—to make them.

Kankurō pulled off his cat's hat, revealing his dark brown messy hair. He pulled the bandana onto his head and tied it tightly. Without the hood, his facial paint looked slightly ridiculous, but he didn't care at the moment. That facial paint added the reality to the situation. Otherwise, he wasn't sure he would cope very well. "You should really comb your hair more often," said a soft voice. He turned to see his older sister, arms crossed over her chest.

"I heard you designed this," he said, tapping the metal.

"Well, me and the general of a bunch of samurai from the Land of Iron did, actually," she said, snickering. "I still can't believe we managed to get so many into production so quickly. We've already supplied the entire Force." Her smile disappeared as she realized that Kankurō was in no mood for any type of happiness. He was simply worried. "We'll find her, Kanky. She's probably waiting for you right now, even."

He nodded, turning away from her. "Temari?"

"Hmm?"

"Go spend time with Shikamaru, Temi," he whispered now, biting his lip. "You go to him and hold him close. Do you hear me, neechan? Don't you dare let him go for even a second." She blinked at the intensity of his words, shocked by them. "Don't even blink, alright? Because I let myself blink… I turned away… and now she's in danger." His shoulders began to shake. "Ah, fuck, Temari… I… I'm so weak, Temari… I can't even… I didn't even… I couldn't…"

"Stop it," she said in a soft, authoritative voice, getting down on her knees besides her brother. She hated to see him destroyed like this. She hated to see him blame himself for things out of his control. "You listen to me right now, because you don't hear this enough. You are not a weakling, Kankurō. You are like… you're just like Okaasan." She gulped. "One of my few memories of her is one where you're running around her legs like a moron, grabbing at her stomach while she's holding a basket of laundry. You're laughing, and so is she. And while you're walking, a dog passes by and begins to run towards you guys. It was going to attack. Ojisan picked me up and ran away, and you… before Okaasan could put herself in front of that dog to keep you safe, you jumped between her and it. Your first instinct was to protect our mother, and hers was to protect you." She rubbed his brown hair, the hair that was like her father's, but their mother's shade of brown. "Kanky, you… Okaasan would be so proud of you. She _is_ so proud of you… and so is Hinata."

* * *

Gaara and Shino had been the first two to notice the intrusion on the camp. Both left their places in their sites to deal with it with swift judgment. Neither was surprised when they saw the other, simply nodding with mutual respect at one another. They both knew of what the other was there to do, and both knew that together they could handle it very easily.

"Show yourself," announced Shino, his beetles flying about, testing for different chakra signatures.

"You do not want us to find you," added Gaara, his sand pouring out of his gourd.

"Stop. I am not an enemy." A man with bright orange came out from behind a brush from twenty meters away, his hands behind his head. Shino vaguely recognized him as one of Sasuke's old lackeys. _What is he doing here? Isn't he an Akatsuki member or something like that? _"My name is Jūgo. I have come with no animosity nor any other intentions. I have come at the persuasion of Hyūga Hinata."

Both Shino and Gaara stopped moving at the mention of Hinata's very name. _She… she has had contact with this man? _Shino wondered, surprised to hear Hinata even being mentioned. _If Hinata has persuaded him to join us, it's probable to assume that he is not an enemy… it would stand to reason that she trusts him, at the very least a little bit… _"Is Hinata still alive?"

"All four of them are, but I doubt they will be for very long if your move is not made," said Jūgo, "I come bearing information about the plot of the leader of the Akatsuki. I know what he means to do." He paused. "His plot is that of the Jūbi."

* * *

'Madara' stared up at the large statue, crouching on one of the fingers of the hands. _Soon enough, it shall be completed,_ he thought, shivering with pleasure at the prospect of a plan being succeeded. The idea of it was just exciting to him. _They'll all live once again. Everyone who has ever lost their lives. They will all live again. _It didn't matter to him that there was a war about to begin, or that Jūgo had deserted the Akatsuki. All he could think about was every loved one he'd ever lost, and how very soon he would have them all back. Every single one.

"I am finished," announced Kabuto after he spent a few moments watching 'Madara'. "Hyūga Hinata's operations have all been successful. All that is left is that we test the new additions to her on the Uzumaki jinchūriki, and then everything is complete."

"Not quite," announced 'Madara', getting to his feet. "I need to do one last thing before completion." He jumped down from his pedestal, making no more than a slight tapping sound on the floor of the hideout. "In fact, there are two things that need to be done. In your lab's storage, I have a casket. I need you to open the casket and remove the eyes of its inhabitant. I need one given directly to me, and the other prepared to be utilized soon. Secondly… I need you to look through the scrolls of Orochimaru for the Edo Tensei."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Of Demons

**Well, I finally finished the chapter! It only took me an entire weekend of shutting myself inside my bedroom with my trusty old (non internet capable) laptop to finish the damned thing! :( But I did get it done! Most of my friends are probably thinking I'm an antisocial little jerk now, but... whatever... I still got it done! I'll just see them tomorrow... :P **

**Well, I'm happy it's finally up. I changed this up six ways to Sunday... and I finally like this chapter! The others were slightly more than really weird and messy to me. Now it isn't, thank God. So I hope you guys enjoy this... :) **

**To ****McKazekage****: hehe, I wanted a brother-sister bonding moment. I don't think they had enough of those in the manga... it was mostly brother-brother bonding moments. And I'm glad I got that part right! I wasn't sure if I got it across that he was really fucked up... To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: happy to know that my interpretation of Gaara is that cool to you! I didn't want to make Sasuke weird or really angry like in all of the other FanFic's I've read with Sasuke as a main character. And thanks! :D **

**DISCLAIMER: still don't and never will own Naruto. Just the story. **

**On with the chappy! **

Zetsu knew what he was about to do was wrong. He knew that on a moral standing, he should be sick with himself. He should be refusing what he was about to do. But, the problem with Zetsu was that even though he knew some of the things he did was morally wrong, he went ahead and did them anyways, because it was what his comrades wanted. Zetsu had always been the type of person to only think of his comrades, not of other people in ninja society.

So this didn't bother him in the least. It didn't make him feel physically sick to harm innocents in the dead of night; literally while they rested. It was what 'Madara' wanted, and therefore it would be what he got. So Zetsu had quickly and efficiently spread his tag bombs around the base of the building, undetected due to the fact that he could travel in the ground if need be. He placed his bombs on the gas tanks, on the support beams, on the electrical lines. Anything that would cause disruption and chaos.

He'd felt gleefully complete when his hard work finally exploded, the screams of many slicing through the air sharply. The fear slid through his 'skin' and sent shivers up and down his body, and he bit his lip to keep in the yelp of excitement he felt due to what he'd just done. He was reveling in this, in this moment.

In the terror he was causing.

The flames were more than visible from his place on the top of the Hokage monument. Hell, it was probably visible from all nearby villages. _Not such a hidden village anymore_, he thought snidely, crossing his arms over chest in satisfaction. 'Madara' wanted to drive home the fact that he could strike anytime he wanted, and there'd be no way they could stop him. The only way to do that was through pure terror, and the best way to do that was through Zetsu, he could slip in anywhere without so much as a trace. He was an impossibility to follow, and therefore the best terrorist he could think of.

And Zetsu was glad—no, proud; he was _proud _that he had been given such a task, a task to cause chaos in Konohagakure. He watched the fire grow in intensity, and spotted multiple shinobi on the rooftops, headed towards the source of the flames. He knew that he'd picked a good spot—after all, who was going to ignore a fire at a hospital?

Zetsu jumped off of the monument, knowing he would be ignored due to the importance of the burning hospital. He ran through freely, not bothering to hide. He'd received a curious request from 'Madara', one that he found to be quite odd indeed; but decided that the masked man knew best. He landed on the rooftop of the Uchiha compound, noting with disgust the chaos within. Konoha certainly hadn't tried to keep the home in even a semi-good state.

He forced the disparaging thoughts towards the Leaf village out of his head, reminding himself that in a couple of days it would no longer matter about the state of the house. Soon, none of his activities would no longer matter, so why focus on such a frivolous topic? He shook his head. _There is no point. There are always going to be casualties when getting what is needed. _He jumped off of the rooftop with that thought in mind, heading for the emptied police station.

* * *

_"Kankurō, come here." He looked up from the colorful pictures that Baki-sensei had developed for the two-year-old in order to describe ninjutsu arts to the boy, knowing he wouldn't understand the intensive paragraphs written in the scrolls. His father stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Diligently, the boy jumped down from his bed and walked over to his father, confused as to why he was coming to speak with him. His father crouched down to be eye-level with his son, mud brown eyes trained on the boy. _

_"Otousan?" asked Kankurō, "What are you doing?" _

_"Do you love your Okaasan, Kankurō?" asked the Fourth Kazekage of his young son, his first born son. Kankurō nodded his head excitedly, smiling widely. The Kazekage smiled faintly and patted his son's head softly. "That is a good thing." _

_"Why?" asked Kankurō, confused by the entire conversation, his smile slipping off of his face. _

_The Kazekage smiled at his young son's confused face. "Because… because I might not always be there for her… I want to know that she has people that love her…" _

_"What?! Otousan won't always be with Okaasan?" asked Kankurō, frightened by his father's words. Kankurō grabbed at the Kazekage's robes, his little hands making wrinkles in the fabric. The Kazekage looked down at his son, confused greatly by his son's actions. Kankurō's eyes brimmed with tears. "But… Otousan is powerful! Otousan is really strong! Otousan can't die!" _

_"You think I am strong?" asked the Kazekage, chuckling slightly and shaking his head. "I am not." _

_"Otousan won't die! Not without Okaasan! Because Otousan and Okaasan are in love!" cried Kankurō. "The hero always gets the princess, Otousan! They always get a happy ending!" _

_"I think I've read him one too many fairy tales, Kazekage-sama," interrupted Yashamaru, who walked in on the conversation. He picked up his near-tears nephew, rubbing his back in consolation. He smiled softly down at the young boy's tearing face. "Karura has been asking for you this morning, Kazekage-sama. She is greatly worried." _

_"Why? Is there something wrong with the baby?" asked the Kazekage, standing upright quickly. _

_Yashamaru laughed lightly. "No, no, the baby is fine right now. She is simply worried about you working too much. She knows you are under a lot of stress sometimes, and she doesn't want you to overstretch yourself. She thinks that you need to take moments to relax sometimes." _

_The Kazekage chuckled darkly, surprising Kankurō with his sudden change in emotion. "I don't see how I can relax, considering what we have to do to the baby. In a few months, we will have a child with that thing inside of him. I don't want to know what will happen, but I am anxious to see it. I am afraid…" _

_"Don't be scared!" cried out Kankurō, surprising both adults with his loudness. His eyes were brimming with tears once more, overcome with emotion. "I'll protect you, Otousan! From anything! I promise!"_

_The Kazekage looked down at his youngest child, and then he suddenly smiled widely, unusually so for him. He rubbed his son's soft hair. "I don't doubt it, Kankurō. You have the heart of a protector, and you make me the proudest father." He kissed the boy's forehead, causing Kankurō's heart to swell with pride. "You'll be an excellent shinobi someday." _

Kankurō's eyes snapped open, finding himself disturbed by a hand patting his chest softly. He frowned up at the face of Nara Shikamaru, who stood in his tent like it was no weird thing. Like it was not an odd thing to be half-naked in the tent belonging to the Sabaku siblings. Kankurō's eyes widened with realization of what must've happened during the night, while he was asleep. Temari was just the right amount of wrong to be able to do it without thinking of consequences, and Shikamaru was just the right amount of asshole to not care about them. He smirked down at the older male, amused by his reaction. "You didn't wake up once," he commented easily.

"_AH, YOU BASTARD!_" screamed out Kankurō, lunging at Shikamaru, grabbing him by the neck and attempting to strangle the shadow user. Shikamaru was still smirking, despite the fact that he was turning purple. "You and her are disgusting! Why would you even… oh, God, you didn't touch me at all, did you?!"

"We lightly brushed against you on our way into bed, but you didn't really wake up. You just fidgeted and curled up. Nothing major," said Temari, who had just walked back into the tent to find her younger brother attempting to choke her boyfriend. She sighed, staring down at them with nothing more than disdain and light amusement. "You didn't wake up. You didn't see anything. So why are you freaking out? You told me to be with Shikamaru…"

"I meant in his tent, you bitch! Not in ours! And it's disgusting! You're my sister, for Chrissakes, I don't like waking up to half-naked boys who've just spent time with you! God!" yelled out Kankurō, letting go of Shikamaru and standing up, rubbing the bridge of his nose, eyes closing. "Have you no shame, Temari?"

Shikamaru grinned. "Well, that just made my morning," he said in a roughened tone due to his nearly being choked. He rubbed his reddened neck, standing up and going over to his girlfriend, kissing her forehead softly. "They just called for you two. I was just trying to wake up your brother is all, since you weren't here." She smiled softly; appreciating the both the thoughfulness and the mischief contained in what Shikamaru had done that morning. "I'll see you later. I'm needed somewhere, until about twelve. I think I'm getting dispatched. I'll let you know for sure later."

She nodded and kissed Shikamaru on the lips. "Okay. Don't do anything stupid," she said with a small smile. Kankurō smirked at the pair, crossing his arms over his chest. It was sometimes nice to see his sister with Shikamaru— she was never so happy with anyone else. It was incredibly nice to see her like this. So calm. So at ease.

"Can't promise anything," he said, kissing her back softly. "Don't be troublesome."

"Can't promise anything," she echoed.

* * *

"We've received word that there has been a bombing in Konohagakure last night, at the hospital," deadpanned Tsunade grimly in front of the group of shinobi she had gathered. She looked like she had the worst night of her life, which was probably the case—medical sciences had always been close to her heart, even when she had an acute fear of blood years ago. "They are still looking, but as so far, there's only been eight reported dead with a total of three hundred people actually within the premises of the hospital, but there is also seventy people critically injured."

Kankurō's eyes widened upon the news, surprised that somebody would be idiotic enough to attack Konohagakure of all places. He knew it as it was: an attempt to cause chaos and disruption in the alliance. It was an attempt to strike fear in the heart of the most powerful shinobi village in the modern day. "Wasn't… wasn't Neji in the hospital…?" he asked. Though he still didn't quite like Neji, he did come to respect him. A comrade, really, nothing more; but it did mean he was concerned over his well being.

"No, not last night," said Tsunade, shaking her head, "He was successfully discharged two nights ago, according to my staff. Apparently, he had bitched them out." Kankurō raised an eyebrow and chuckled slightly. _Of course he would. He was bitching about not being discharged in time to find Hina-chan before we left Konoha… _

"We've already started evacuation to facilities in the Hidden Rain," noted Gaara. "They're not great like some others, but they had the most space. Your patients will be alright in their care. But I think we need to assign people to watch over them, assure they'll be completely alright."

"Kumo will take care of it," interjected the Raikage, A, with his broad arms crossed over his chest; his frown deeply set. The man was intimidating enough to not leave any room for argument. Gaara raised his hairless brow before letting it drop, seeing all the benefits of having those whose affinity was that of lightning in a village with nothing but rain.

"I will also assign a couple of my best of my shinobi to aide them, if need be," said Mei, the Misukage softly, earning a slight nod of respect and acknowledgement from A.

"Thank you both," said Tsunade appreciatively, nodding at the pair. "I will set some of my shinobi to protect my village. I feel that any terror that will be inflicted at the hands of the Akatsuki will be towards Konoha, so I feel it will be best."

"Some of my shinobi will be sent to you as well," said Gaara, eyes closing with thought. "I have feelings that our villages will be targeted the most out of all the hidden villages. I feel that we need both skills in order to protect efficiently. I understand this will be difficult, due to mixed feelings amongst some of our villagers due to the happenings of the coup. However, we must do this in order to survive this war."

"I understand as well. But they're going to have to work with it anyways," said Tsunade with a smirk. She flicked a glance at Kakashi. "You're in charge of the Konohagakure defenses, Hatake Kakashi. You'll work with Hyūga Hiashi and a diplomat of Kazekage-sama's choosing."

"My student, Matsuri," defined Gaara, "She may be a Genin, but do not let that make you think she is in any way incompetent." Kakashi paused for a minute, fully thinking over Gaara's words, and nodded, agreeing to what Tsunade wanted him to do. Gaara opened his jade eyes and looked over at his sister. "I put you in charge of Suna defenses, with Baki-sensei, and a diplomat of Tsunade's."

"Aburame Shino," said Tsunade, "He's one of my best trackers. His bugs are very good at what they do, and beyond that, he's a very capable strategist when need be. He's also easy to work with. I feel you will deal with him well."

Temari nodded; obviously slightly disappointed she hadn't appointed Shikamaru to the position. Kankurō couldn't help but grin slightly at her downtrodden expression, but he didn't note on it. Kankurō ceased listening from there, merely sitting and pretending to be attentive to the battle plans. He honestly couldn't care less; he simply wanted to find Hinata. He just wanted her back.

"All of you, with the exception of Kankurō, are dismissed," said Gaara, surprising him slightly. Kankurō let an eyebrow rise, and he flicked a glance at his sister, who merely shrugged. He watched as the large tent emptied out, leaving him alone with the Five Kages. "As you should be aware, you went unmentioned."

_Was I? Well, shit, _he thought. "Of course."

"That is because we have a special plan for you. We want you to end this war within the week. We need you to find the hidden base of the Akatsuki and take back those four shinobi. According to our newest asset, all four of them play specific roles to the leader's plans, and it's best to take them before he can get to use them—which is very soon," said Gaara, watching his brother's expression. Kankurō's eyes narrowed with concentration, fully thinking.

"I need all the details," he said slowly and seriously, "You can't just give me half-assed bullshit under-descriptions and expect me to be able to think of strategies, or even create a team. The team needs to be based on the assets needed for this mission. I need to know all the details, which brings me back to my statement. I need all the details." He rubbed the tip of his nose and looked at the five Kage. "We points to they play? Just tell me, in layman's terms."

"Do you really want to know?" asked Tsunade in a low voice.

_No, _he thought as he nodded. "Yes. Tell me everything."

Tsunade sighed. "You're not going to like it…"

"With all due respect, Lady Tsunade, I don't give a flying fuck," sighed Kankurō. He looked over at his younger brother, whose eyes hadn't moved off of him. "Gaar. Tell me. Please."

Gaara sighed now, and let his eyelids slide shut. "They're going to combine all nine of the tailed beasts to make the Jūbi. They're not going to forcibly rip out the Nine-Tails from Naruto first; they're going to have him at the center of the beast. If Naruto is alive in this, then they can use the First Hokage's means of controlling the Nine-Tails, which therefore means that the person casting the First Hokage's jutsu will control all of the beasts. Hinata is the person they're using for that means. According to our contact, they've already transferred some more of the genetics of the First Hokage into her body, giving her access to the technique.

"They're going to use Shikaru to launch full-scaled decimation upon Konoha, which is why they took him. We're not completely sure how they're going to go about releasing the side of him that they need, but we're still readying the village for any and all attacks as a precaution. We've seen the damage this kid can do."

The Tsuchikage snorted. "_We_ is a slightly strong exaggeration. I'm the one who's lost many valuable shinobi at his hands," he pointed out with a grumble.

"I apologize on the Kazekage's behalf," said the Misukage, who could plainly see that all Gaara wanted to do was use his sand burial technique on the shorter old man besides him, a vein bulging in his temple. If Kankurō wasn't so stunned by the information he was receiving about his mission, he would've been laughing his ass off for sure at his younger brother's face. "Please, Lord Gaara, continue with the mission outline."

"Thank you, Lady Mei," said Gaara gruffly, still greatly annoyed. "While all of these are great concerns, it is the fate of Sasuke that worries us most. Our contact has stressed this point greatly, expressing his worry, and I don't doubt that what he says to us is nothing but the truth. According to the contact, it appears that they're going to use Sasuke's body as a container for Uchiha Madara."

"What for?" Kankurō finally gasped out.

"They want to use the eye of the Jūbi to enact the Eye of the Moon plan. They're going to attempt to put the entire shinobi world into a genjutsu into what the masked man believes a perfect world to be."

* * *

"Is something like that even possible?" asked Kiba skeptically, arms crossed over his chest. He looked at his friend, who was deadly serious.

"It might be," said Kankurō, rubbing the back of his neck. "I dunno. It seems like a long shot to me, to be able to resurrect some guy who's been dead since before our grandparents were even born. But, then again, we do live in a world where we store actual demons within our friends and families. Who's to say that you can't do the same thing with a man like Uchiha Madara?"

"I hear what you're saying, but I just find it to be incredibly ridiculous," said Kiba. "Because he's really fucking dead…"

"It doesn't matter whether or not we find it to be true, but the fact of the matter is that those are our friends in there," interrupted Nara Shikamaru, sighing. "And they're going to be used for something that puts the entire world as we know it in danger." Kankurō looked at the younger male, noting how unusually serious and attentive Shikamaru looked at the moment. His jaw was hard set, and his eyes narrowed. It slightly scared him to see Shikamaru so serious.

Kiba sighed. "So, what… do you have a set team in mind? Or is just us four?" he asked.

"No, it's more than us," said Kankurō, "They've already assigned us the recently-acquired information bank. He's to lead us to the hideout that they're using. I'm bringing Kiba and Akamaru along because, quite frankly, I don't know whether or not to trust him. With your tracking skills, you two will best be able to detect whether or not he's leading us in the right direction. And I'm bringing Shikamaru because I've seen him in action at the Chūnin exams years ago. It takes a damn smart guy to take out my sister, and an even smarter guy to be able to be in a relationship with her and not be injured pretty much twenty-four-seven."

"Anyone else?" asked Shikamaru, suppressing a small smile.

"Me," interrupted a voice, surprising all four participants in the conversation. Hyūga Neji stood ten feet away, arms crossed over his chest, eyes hardened. If Kankurō was going to be completely honest with himself, he couldn't be gladder to see the Hyūga prodigy ever. "I'm fully healed, and you guys need me. Don't even try to argue; I've already got an okay from Lady Tsunade."

Kankurō sighed, looking away. "Like we would've been able to tell you differently, Neji. Just tell me you won't drop dead in the middle of the mission due to fatigue, and I'll leave it alone."

Neji smirked. "I won't drop dead in the middle of the mission due to fatigue. Now leave it alone."

Kankurō nodded. "We're leaving in two hours exactly. Meet me at the edge of the camp on the dot or I'll leave your asses here."

* * *

A hand sailed down onto Hinata's cheek, the pain stinging, but not unmanageable. She could positively say that her time in ANBU, or even her rigorous training sessions with Kakashi, and especially her Gentle Fist training; surpassed this pain by a long shot. She spat out the blood onto her 'torturer's' feet, blood dripping in between their toes. They growled and struck her again, thinking that her reaction might be any different than it already was.

It wasn't.

"Go fuck yourself," she said proudly, smirking in defiance up at the man. The man was getting more pissed off by the second by her refusal, by her still-strong defiance. It was odd, and beyond that; it scared the man to see a woman so… strong. Especially a woman that looked like her; she looked like a woman so easily hurt. It made it glaringly obvious that he'd never faced a member of the Hyūga clan before, even more so that he'd never been around an heir to a clan. An heir—especially a female heir—had to be stronger than the average member. They had to be tougher in the face of pain and interrogation.

And they had to be able to stand their ground whenever they didn't want to do something.

She looked over at her friend, at her first crush. Naruto looked as if he'd seen better days; like she was sure she looked like at this point. Blood dripped down the side of his face, and his right eye was beginning to swell shut. Although in such bad shape, the jinchūriki managed to smile at the Hyūga heiress lopsidedly. She smirked in response, knowing he was being as obstinate as she.

"Just do as your told and manipulate the asshole!" yelled out the wannabe Akatsuki member, grabbing Hinata by the collar of her shirt and pulling her up to her feet. She swirled blood around in her mouth and promptly spat it in his face, eyes hard with resistance. He growled and slapped her again. And, once again, it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. _But if my hands weren't bound, I would've beaten him by now, _she thought, allowing herself to drop back down onto her knees.

"I do believe 'Madara's' orders were to convince her to use the jutsu, not to beat the shit out of the both of them because they won't," interjected Suigetsu in a bored voice, taking a sip out of his bottle. Suigetsu obviously didn't care either way, content to let the newbie batter around the captives.

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing, reject!" yelled out the man, hoisting Hinata to her feet again. "Now do it!"

"No," she said clearly, glaring at him, "I won't."

_SLAP! _

"What are you doing?" came the voice of 'Madara', sending a shock down the newbie's spine. He immediately let go of Hinata, who stayed on her feet. A hand touched the middle of Hinata's back, tapping it lightly. "Hyūga, turn around." Frightened by the man's chakra, she did as she was told, letting that one cold Sharingan eye assess her injuries. "Suigetsu, kill this man right now."

"B-But…" stuttered out the man, shivering with fear as Suigetsu pulled his sword off of his back, walking over to the man and grabbing him by the collar of his robes, pulling him away. "N-No… _NO! NOOOOOOOO!_"

"I do detest morons with muscles," sighed 'Madara', "Especially one that thinks nothing of hurting a beautiful woman, especially one as perfect as you." He softly grabbed her by her chin and turned her head, fully checking her injuries. "Though, I don't understand how you couldn't just do what I need you to do. It's simple, really. I just need you to control your container here, that's all."

"That 'container' is my _friend_," spat Hinata.

"Oh, yes. Friendship. Let me tell you about that. It's useless. In the end, it's just more people who can hurt you. Friends are just unrealized enemies, Hyūga. I've learned the hard way the truth of this." He shook his head and made a tut-tut sound. "It's easier to deal with them before they betray you. Before they break you."

"That's not true," muttered Naruto.

'Madara' turned to Naruto. "You believe that? Seriously?"

"Y-Yeah," said Naruto, sitting up and spitting out a loose molar. "Don't try to even play that line. Friends don't harm, nor do they betray, one another. You're wrong."

"And, of course, you would be the official on this. It is practically impossible, it seems, for your own teammates not to betray you!" said 'Madara', his laugh sick. "First Uchiha Sasuke, who betrayed the entire village and tried to kill you multiple times, and now, your little crush, Haruno Sakura's betrayed you, too!"

"Sakura… didn't betray me…!" growled Naruto.

"Aren't you wondering who took over Hyūga Neji's mind, Uzumaki? Aren't you wondering who scattered Yamanaka Ino's brain? Aren't you wondering who the mole in Konohagakure, helping Kabuto, was? It was Haruno Sakura! She was helping us get to all four of you, and she did very well! She fooled everybody… well, at least, until she got caught."

"You're lying," murmured Hinata, eyes wide. She dropped to her knees, too stunned and too confused to think about keeping upright. "Sakura wouldn't… she's my friend… she's very loyal to the village; to her friends. The Sakura I know would never…" Tears dripped down her cheeks. Neji's words ran through her mind. He'd said not to trust the doctor. His doctor at the hospital was Sakura. He'd told her what Sakura was doing, and she just hadn't seen it! "But… Sakura showed…"

"Sakura is a good actress," cooed 'Madara', enjoying himself deeply now. "Isn't that right, Haruno-san?" Hinata's breath caught in her chest, and she forced herself to turn around to see Sakura with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at Hinata as if she was dog shit on the sidewalk. Hinata shivered to see this glare, to see that amount of hatred in someone's eyes.

"Why?" Hinata asked numbly, not needing to ask any other question.

"You had someone you didn't even deserve," spat Sakura, "I deserved him—I deserve him. And hell, I will get him. Getting this done will get me him." Hinata's eyes widened more, if possible. _Is she… is she talking about Kankurō? Is she talking about my boyfriend…? She loves Kankurō, and she hates me because he's with me?_ Sakura came close to her and kicked Hinata in the ribs, causing all the breath to rush out of Hinata's lungs. She fell onto her side, coughing hoarsely. _Sakura… why… I never wanted… I didn't want you to get hurt… I never meant for you to get hurt… _

_Neji. _The thought of the sight of her cousin so pained had hurt beyond anything she'd ever felt before, save for the betrayal she had felt when Kankurō had went to Kabuto to protect her. To finally know who caused her precious cousin such suffering was Sakura made her blood boil. _Ino. _Ino was a good friend, always reliable—always kind to her. She might not be as close to her as the rest of their Rookie group, but Ino was always kind to her. She'd never want to see her hurt. _Hanabi. _Her sister had her life threatened six ways from Sunday. She'd been hurt protecting _her _from Sakura. She'd been threatened because she stayed in the village.

Hinata's rage began to boil hotter.

_Kiba. _He had a crush on Sakura. Kiba had told both Shino and herself when they first noticed the extent of which he liked to hang out with her. _Naruto. _He'd just defended her, for Chrissakes! He believed in her; he brought Sasuke back just for her! What kind of bitch did this kind of thing to her friends? _Tsunade… Kakashi… Sasuke… Tenten… Kankurō… _The list kept growing longer and longer every second. The list of people Sakura had hurt, had betrayed. All of them were people close to her heart.

Hinata subconsciously activated her Byakugan, her chakra rippling up and down her chakra streams. She looked at Sakura, purely intending to bring harm to the kunoichi. She then looked at Naruto, who had orange chakra burning in his stomach. Ready and primed for her use. The kanji for 'sit' appeared on her right palm. Without even thinking about it; ten small, smooth-surfaced pillars spiked out of the stone ground. Her chakra burned bright blue, nearly searing in its warmth.

'Madara' smiled to see that he was getting exactly what he wanted.

Naruto looked towards his friend, who began to sit up, eyes downcast to the floor. "H-Hinata…?" he whispered, scared by the amount of chakra surrounding Hinata's frame. 'Madara' chuckled and walked behind the Hyūga, undoing her bound hands. "W-What are you… what is she…?"

"She's doing what I want, like a good little puppet," said 'Madara' gleefully as Hinata raised her hand, holding it towards Naruto. "This may hurt a little, Uzumaki…"

There was a burning. A fire. He could feel it in his stomach. He gasped out, grabbing at the tanned flesh that covered his abdomen. The seal turned red and searing, causing him to cry out. Screeching filled Naruto's ears. Even when Naruto slammed his hands down over his ears, the screeching refused to go away. He sobbed out in agony as his mind filled with turmoil. He knew the presence—it was the fox. Never before had the fox so powerfully tried to overtake his head, his body. "_STOP!_" screamed Naruto in agony.

The fox wasn't trying to overtake Naruto's body. It didn't want to—it was perfectly comfortable with the teenaged boy being in complete control. But this being was calling to him, commanding him. It felt like Hashirama, but it couldn't be, could it? No, Senju Hashirama was dead, definitely dead. So who was this person? This person with a chakra so similar?

Whoever it was, Kurama couldn't help but heed to their wishes.

Their wish was 'Kill Haruno Sakura'.

So kill Haruno Sakura he would do.

* * *

'Madara' sneered behind the mask as Hinata's power lost its viciousness. He knew she was out of chakra, and he didn't care. He got what he needed out of her.

She could control the Nine-Tails.

Sakura was still clinging on to the cusps of life, her lifeblood pooling underneath her body. Her emerald eyes were unfocused and unseeing. She was too dazed to possibly be able to concentrate on anything. Hinata had ran out of the stamina and the chakra necessary to continue bringing harm to the girl, unsurprisingly enough. It took a lot of strength just to pull out the Nine-Tails. 'Madara' was just surprised that she made it as far as she had.

_Eight minutes. _That was the length of time she could successfully control the Tails with the chakra she had. It was definitely longer than he figured she could hold out, but it was still short enough for him to feel that the resurrection of his most valuable asset was still a necessity.

Naruto slumped onto the ground, his mind worn and tired due to the fight he'd tried to engage the Nine-Tails in before it'd successfully taken over. Well, no, that wasn't true. _Hinata _had taken over. _Hinata_ had temporarily ripped open the seals in order for the manipulation of the demon beast. 'Madara' looked down at the girl, who was barely hanging onto consciousness by a thread. Sweat dripped down in buckets down her face, and her eyes were bleary.

"W-What did I just…" she murmured, fear and self-hatred rising in her chest. Sakura was nearly dead! Why had she wanted Sakura dead so badly? She might hate her for what she'd done, what she'd put her and her friends through; but not enough to want to kill her! She'd known the pink-haired girl basically her entire life. She'd been in classes with her, shared missions with her, played with the same girls. Despite what she'd done, there was no way in hell Hinata would ever want to see her dead. Yet… she had. She had wanted it. And she'd nearly gotten it.

Vomit rose in Hinata's throat, and she clamped her hand down on her mouth before she lost it, vomiting all over the floor besides herself. Her coughs filled the expansive room, quickly followed by her heavy sobs. _I… I tried to kill my friend! I'm no better than she is! I'm a horrible person! _

"What I wanted," said 'Madara' gleefully, clapping his hands together. "The plan can definitely go through now." Hinata looked up at the evil man, disgusted by his words. His mask was partially broken over his face, revealing a black eyebrow. He raised his hand to his face, touching his saggy flesh. He sighed. "There's no use to hiding behind this damned mask anymore, is there?" he asked, shaking his head. He ripped off the rest of the mask, revealing to her a Rinnegan eye in the left side of her face. "There's also no use hiding behind an alias such as 'Madara'. It's total bull, and besides that, I hate the name."

"What's… you're real name…?" asked Hinata, fatigue finally catching up to her. She fought with her tired body, mind and soul, but she wasn't winning.

He glared down at her. "Uchiha Obito," he told her before she finally lost, succumbing to sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Of Parents, Part 1

**So. A lot of things... yeah. Just got this done about two minutes before putting it into the DocManager. Proud of that. And it's one that I don't feel is crap. But it might just be slightly confusing. Just fair warning. :) **

**In other news, just brought in a couple of MORE characters. I think this is getting way too involved, maybe, but I'm just enjoying where this is going. My original idea was to get this done within ten chapters, but I think that I might have to go a little longer. Only the story will tell. I tend to try to detail the situations when I write so they're coherent at the very least, so that's what makes the stories get so long. I apologize if you don't like the lengths I'm going to. **

**I'm now using this to study for my AP English class. I figure I'll learn good sentencing structure by doing this. This was for fun, but I began proofing my work in the middle of class and my teacher caught me and took my phone away. And then at the end of class, she was like, 'This... is pretty good! I don't know what a 'Naruto' is, but this is cool! So write this, and then show it to me, and I think that'll be sufficient enough to say that you're studying for this class!' Gotta love my English teacher :P **

**To ****McKazekage****: yeah, that is pretty much what happened, isn't it? xP To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: I love how much you love this story, dude. Seriously. The both of you make me smile so wide when I get notification that you've reviewed this thing. You guys are so damned cool, the both of you. **

**Here is the ****_chappie_**** (I kept spelling 'Chappy' like that bunny thing that Rukia from Bleach adores so much. It's unintentional.) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I own the story. And three characters. **

The last person who would ever say that he had made sure to leave the greatest legacy would be the Fourth Kazekage, and he would openly admit as much. He was fully aware of the multiple kinds of wrong he had done by his children, not so much Temari; but his sons. He was aware of how they felt about him due to the way he'd treated them, but he hadn't quite understood it until after he died. He didn't realize that he didn't hate them—he hated how they were. He hated how much more different than he'd wanted them to be—especially Kankurō.

He was almost exactly like her. Like Karura.

In the first two years of Kankurō's life, the Kazekage hadn't truly minded; he thought it was a sign of goodwill that Kankurō was like her. She was truly a good person, kind to the bone and stronger than most. He liked that his son was that kind of person, whereas his daughter, who looked like her mother, was more like himself; which wasn't a bad thing either. But then it happened. Karura died in childbirth. She didn't even make it to tell her two older children goodbye.

And he found that by the time Kankurō was beginning to near his third birthday, he hated how his son was. He thought that kindness got a man nowhere, that he needed to be tougher. Less loving. More like the puppets he played with. And so he tried to beat that part of him out by whipping the boy whenever he messed up. A small part of his brain knew this was wrong, but the loneliness that comes after a spouse died had destroyed his sense of morality. He thought he was doing Kankurō a favor.

It wasn't until he died that he finally realized that he couldn't be further from the truth. Pain hadn't been what had changed Kankurō; it hadn't been what made him strong. No, it'd been nothing more than love. Love coming from a girl with black, almost bluish in its hues, hair and pale lavender eyes. A girl who stuttered a lot. A girl who the Kazekage believed to be practically like his wife in personality.

At first, when he realized that he was still tied to the Earth, he'd tried to look for Karura. He wanted to be with her; once again, in the forever that was the afterlife. But he was tied down, unable to leave the Earth, whereas she had decided to have her soul absolved into Gaara's sand, and her will became his. That had caused her to go beyond and leave him behind, and he was now afraid to leave Earth. He was afraid to go to her after what she'd done to her precious boy.

He wanted to make amends, but without a body it was impossible. Without a voice, it was inconceivable. He couldn't touch Kankurō, and Kankurō couldn't hear or see him. So he began to follow his son around, watching and looking out for him as much as he could. He'd been saddened for him when Sakura's traitorous actions came forth, and he was so distraught to see him sob over this girl. Over Hyūga Hinata. His desperation and anger, mostly all-around frustration due to the fact that he believed that he failed to protect her, had been a feeling that the Kazekage himself felt just a few moments after Karura's passing.

He wanted to help, but he didn't know how.

Well, that wasn't completely true. He did know how. He just really needed a body.

He didn't realize he'd get that wish.

The lights were blinding, but not painfully so. He squinted at first, allowing the new eyes to adjust to the lighting before allowing his eyes to open fully, blinking a few times as a force of habit before realizing that the body he was in did not require any blinking at all. He looked down at his hands, staring at the seemingly peeling skin, the flakes of him looking like they were ready to pull off any second.

_The fuck? _he wondered, rubbing his finger pads together. No, nothing flecked off. _That_ was freaky. Really fucking creepy. _Is this… the Edo Tensei? Have I been resurrected? _

"I was wondering if I'd see your idiot face around here!" yelled out a voice, interrupting him from his thoughts. His head snapped up to see a short old lady with her small arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him through those slits she'd always claimed to be her eyes. He squinted at her, realizing what was going on.

"Granny Chiyo?" he said, raising both his eyebrows. Yes, this definitely confirmed he was resurrected. He knew she'd died; he'd been with Kankurō when he found out what she'd done for Gaara. To see her was not only confirming, it was terrifying. She walked up to him, fearless, and smacked him as hard as she could. She might be an old woman, but that did not mean to say that she didn't have any strength left.

"You _moron_! I can't stress this enough! Ooh! What kind of idiot does what you did to your own children, especially one who would've done anything to protect you like Kankurō? God, you're such an _idiot_!" she screamed at him as he picked himself up. It hadn't hurt—but it was definitely surprising still, even though he'd expected it to come.

"I know, I know," said the Kazekage, trying to keep the short woman attempting to damage him. "I know it was stupid, really stupid; and I plan to fix it."

"You can't just _fix it_, jackass!" she yelled at him, attempting to hit him once more. "You royally fucked up, you shithead! You can't fix what is so irreparable… God, why couldn't you just go and blow yourself up like Yashamaru? I actually liked Yashamaru! Yashamaru wasn't a _total fuck-up_ like you!"

"I know…"

"You don't!"

"I've been watch him… I think I know…"

"Oh, you jackass!"

The Kazekage crossed his arms over his chest, knowing he couldn't win this argument with this old woman. Chiyo wasn't the type to ever want to lose an argument. Nothing short of death had stopped her from winning, and now death was no longer there to stop her. Now he couldn't just hope for her to drop dead mid-conversation and leave him to be winner, or at the very least just fall asleep like any other old fart. _I hate the Edo Tensei, _he thought, allowing himself to look around the room. He hadn't expected to see it filled up with as many deceased shinobi as possible. _What kind of Edo Tensei is this? I only thought only three or four at a time may be used… not well over thirty shinobi! _

"There's a war going on, Granny Chiyo," he said in a monotone, looking around with a hard expression. "And I doubt we've been brought back for the side of good."

"No, we haven't," sighed Chiyo, "There's too many varying parties in attendance. It seems like they didn't care what kind of person they were in their lifetime, they were just looking for their capabilities. They were probably looking for whoever was strongest and could take down the most people."

The Kazekage nodded. "Yes, that seems to be the case," he responded, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes. "Last thing I remember from watch Kankurō was that he was going to start to come after his little girlfriend."

"'Little girlfriend'? Kankurō has a girlfriend now?" asked Chiyo, surprised.

"Yes. The Hyūga heiress, actually," he said, tilting his head back, wanting to feel a breeze. He was unsurprised when he felt none. _So this body really has no sensation at all. A shame… I would've enjoyed a breeze once more… that was my favorite thing about being with Karura when we were young. Her home had a breeze… a gentle breeze… _

Chiyo snorted. "I doubt it will last. She dumped him when they were younger, horribly. I felt so badly for him, because he liked her so much. He didn't even want to talk about it at all!"

"They're in love. I've seen it," said the Kazekage. "They love each other, him and Hinata…"

"Hinata?" The Kazekage's eyes snapped open at the sound of the soft voice interrupting the conversation between himself and Chiyo, whipping around to see a woman with black hair and bright white eyes staring at him, eyes wide. "Did you just say the name Hinata? You know of her?"

"Yes. Hinata's important to my son," said the Kazekage, turning completely as to give her full respect. Based on her appearance, she seemed to be royalty, which could only mean that she was from the highest of the Hyūga alone. By that, she deserved all the respect he could give to her. "Do you know her as well?"

She looked like she was about to answer. "Doesn't she?" interrupted a voice, pissing the Kazekage off. _What's with all these fucking interruptions? _He growled in the back of his throat, sending Chiyo into bellowing laughs at his high immaturity. The interrupting asshole, as the Kazekage was going to choose to call this man, clapped him on the back, causing the Kazekage to raise his eyebrows at this man's actions. _What. The hell. Is this. Asshole. Doing? _"She probably knows her the best… and considering your duties, I want you to get closely acquainted with her."

"Acquainted?" growled the Kazekage without turning around to the man.

"Yes," said the man in an annoyed voice, "After all, Hinata is her daughter, and it is Hinata you're going to be guarding."

* * *

When Hinata was forced into awareness, she wasn't expecting to be roughly pulled out of bed and carried over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She wasn't expecting to feel a man's hand grabbing her ass unnecessarily and far too roughly. Of course, to make things fair, _he _probably wasn't expecting _her _to use the Gentle Fist on him, first targeting him in the kidneys, and then once he dropped her and began to turn around, in the crotch. Normally, Hinata would be against harming somebody she barely knew like that, but she had never been much of a morning person, like all the Hyūga clan members. And being as cranky as she was first thing when waking up, she didn't think that what she'd done was too much—in fact, it wasn't nearly enough.

So she made sure to kick him a couple of times as well before beginning to walk off in the direction he was headed. Logic would be pursuant that she was wanted somewhere over there, and since it really wasn't like it was a maze or anything in this underground hideout, she suspected that it wouldn't be too hard to figure out where she had to go. Sooner or later, she'd find it, and she knew she wouldn't like it.

"H… Hinata…?"

Hinata stopped in her tracks, instantly recognizing the voice without even thinking about it. A shiver ran down her spine to hear that voice, that sweet, sweet sound. She wanted to turn around, but she feared that her eyes, as they normally were, would deceive her. Surely, it was just her fear getting the best of her. Silently, she activated her Byakugan, which had the capabilities to see through any allusions as well.

No. No, it was not an allusion. It was definitely real.

"M-Mother…?" she managed to stutter out, beginning to turn around before she lost control and blacked out due to anxiety and an oncoming panic attack.

* * *

Shikaru pressed himself against the furthest wall, shivering in both distaste and absolute fear. He hadn't felt this way in a long way, and he had sincerely hoped to never feel this way ever again. Without this feeling, the _other _him wasn't bound to come out, like a bomb waiting to go off. He closed his eyes, believing his Sharingan to be fooling him for the first time in his life. "You can't be real. This just an incredibly good genjutsu is all, because you're dead…!"

"You can't believe that," said the overly sweet, seductive voice he remembered so well; the one that made his spine clench up so tight and made him want to break down sobbing. "You know it's me. You know it in your heart that you're just being ridiculous." He did, but he wasn't just going to admit it, because he didn't want to admit it was true. To admit this would bring the other guy closer to the surface. That was exactly where the other guy, Senju Obito, _shouldn't _be.

People lost their lives that way.

He covered his ears, biting his lips. "No, it can't. It just can't. You're an allusion! A genjutsu!"

The woman feigned hurt in her tone. Her voice managed to slither its sick way through the gaps between his fingers, tickling and whispering in his ears as if she were right next to him instead of across the room. Hell, she might as well be; he could feel her as well as he could feel the cloth of his dirty shirt. "Why, _OBITO_, you don't mean that! It makes it sound like you hate me." _I do, you sadistic bitch! _"There was a time you'd do anything to _protect me_." His stomach flipped over. _No. _She was purposely calling out to the other guy within him. Just her voice, saying the word 'protect' was making Senju Obito stir and begin to rake his claws against Shikaru's consciousness. "I'm _in trouble_, _OBITO_, and I _need_ you to _help_ _me_. Unless… you want to see me get _hurt_…." Images of her being harmed ran through his mind nonstop. It began to hurt, to fight the other guy. Usually, he would give in. But he refused. He knew exactly what she wanted, what giving in meant at that moment. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to prove that Senju Obito was not stronger than his will.

But it was so _hard._

"S-Stop," he groaned out, grabbing his throbbing head and pressing his fingertips hard against his temples in an attempt to keep his seemingly exploding brain in place. "I… I don't want to…"

"But _OBITO…_" Shikaru really wanted her to stop saying his name; it was making everything worse. She was trying to appeal to his sense of guilt by using the name she had given him, along with his father, at his birth. He understood the reasoning behind it, and he wished that it didn't affect him the way it was. But it was, and it was so. Fucking. _Painful. _"Don't you want to make up to me for killing me? Don't you want to make up for killing your own _mother_?"

"I d-did what… was n-necessary… for the good of K… K-Konoha," he groaned, falling to his knees. Senju Obito was now screeching in his ears. "P-Please… s-stop i-it… make h-him stop… m-make it g-go away…"

Senju Amai's mouth twisted upwards in a sneer, irritated by her son's words. Konoha, he spoke of? Did he honestly just speak of something being good for Konohagakure, the village that betrayed his father? Now she had to use him for this. Now she had to _annihilate _the village for doing what it'd done. They brainwashed her _son_, her _baby boy_. Her living, breathing memento of her long lost Shisui.

She walked over to the boy, crouching in front of his shaking frame. It looked like he was going to make her do this the hard way. She sighed, forming the seals necessary to forcibly bring out the 'other side' she'd created. It was a dangerous thing to do—the jutsu gave the other side complete and full reign, and the chances of the normal 'Shikaru' coming back was slim to none, and if he did… he wouldn't be nearly as sane. But she was willing to do whatever she had to in order to avenge her husband. She tapped Shikaru on the back of his neck, making his eyes snap open. He then coughed out blood, still fighting with himself.

"N-NO!" he gasped out between hacking sobs. _She… she just… I can't… he's coming… I can't stop him! _Shikaru thought, pushing Amai out of the way and stumbling, running to his pack. His skin was on fire now. His stomach was ripping. Obito was going to tear him apart. Shikaru grabbed his weapons pouch, pulling it off of the cot he had inhabited and onto the floor. He opened his pouch only to find it emptied, save for a few soldier pills he kept in case he couldn't get food during missions.

"Do you really think I would leave you with weapons? I know what you'd do if I made you lose any mental blockers you managed to come up with over the years. It's only logical." She stood over him, a Chesire Cat-esque smile on her face. "No, I can't have you killing yourself. I can't have you dying until you demolish Konohagakure in its entirety. Only until that point do you have my permission, as your mother, to die, _OBITO_. Only then."

Shikaru coughed up more blood, no longer able to speak without feeling so much pain. All of him hurt, and all of him wanted the painkiller that was giving in. He didn't, no, _couldn't_ fight Obito anymore. He was winning. _Hanabi… Shizuka… please tell me… neither of you in Konoha… I don't want you to see me… I don't want you to fight me… I can't stop him once he's out… and Naruto-sensei isn't there… run…! _With that thought, Shikaru lost his battle, breaking apart finally.

Obito was free.

* * *

"Shizuka…" came the voice of Hanabi over the hill. Shizuka sighed, exasperated with his teammate's constant running around in the cemetery. As of right now, he was Hanabi's personal guard dog. It wasn't a dream job in the war, but it was what Hiashi wanted to give him as to keep his life completely safe. He understood it; he just didn't like it. He liked Hanabi—no, he loved her like a sister; but he wanted to protect _all _of Konoha rather than just her.

"Hanabi, stop running around. We came to visit your mother's grave," he said, moving to stuff his hands in the pockets of his usual sweatshirt before remembering that for this war, they had unofficially moved him up to the rank of Chūnin to justify his fighting in such a dangerous setting. He had to replace it with a flak jacket. He awkwardly let his hands go to his sides as he walked to his shorter friend, who stared down at the slab of marble before her. "We still need to get you out of Konoha. We need to send you to Suna for the war. It's where you'll be safe."

She pointed down to the stone before her, ignoring his words. "I… it's split," she murmured, getting on her knees before the stone, stroking the smooth front with her fingers. "My mother's gravestone. It's broken, Shizuka. It's split on its face, right over her name." She looked up at her friend. "That's an omen."

Shizuka crouched down next to her, looking at the gash. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it; it was _huge_. Anybody else would say that was an omen, but he didn't believe in that kind of thing. But it did bring a rather sick feeling to his stomach to see this. He smiled over at his friend. "It's probably nothing, Hanabi. Maybe some moron kids with kunais and shuriken were playing in the cemetery again and the game went too far," he said.

Hanabi swallowed back her usual complaints and disagreements, forcing herself to nod and agree with him. He sounded so sure of himself that she wanted to believe him—she needed to. She smiled softly, but obviously not like she usually would. She patted his knee. "Um… pass me my crutch, please? I can't stand very well without it."

He sighed. "Why did you get down here, then?"

"I wanted to be close to her," she whispered, looking at the grave again. "I… I just wanted to experience what my sister had with my mother. I... I don't know, it all sounds really stupid right now." Shizuka looked at his best friend's quivering bottom lip before grabbing her crutch from where she left it, leaning against the gravestone. He held it steady for her as she used it to get up, biting her lip to keep in the whimpers of pain. He felt so bad for this girl right now; he understood how lonely she felt. He, too, grew up without a mother. But, then again, he also grew up without a family altogether.

"I hope Shikaru's okay," she murmured, pressing her small face against Shizuka's chest, letting the crutch drop once more as she pressed herself against him, wrapping her skinny arms around his waist. He looked down at his friend, slightly surprised by the amount of negative emotion she was expressing. She wasn't really one to feel that way, so sadly, about anything. She didn't like it when people worried about her. "I hope my sister is okay. I hope Naruto's okay. I hope Sasuke is okay. Shizuka, I want them to come home." He felt her begin to sob into the flak jacket, and he began to rub her back.

"They'll be back, Hanabi," he whispered, kissing the top of her head, "They'll be back." God, he hoped they'd be back. And he hoped they'd bring Sakura's psychotic, traitorous ass back to Konohagakure with them so he could beat her to death. Slowly, painfully, and with preferably a blunt object. Like a bat, or the leg to a table. Something that wasn't sharp, something perfect for bludgeoning.

* * *

Obito looked down at his nephew, or what had the body of his nephew. It honestly had made him disgusted to see what it was that Amai had done to the boy's head. He could understand, even now, why someone might want to bury that part of himself. Immediately when Amai had allowed this part of his nephew to leave the room, it found an extra wannabe Akatsuki member and promptly killed them, ripping off their heads.

And Amai had just _smiled, _proud of what she'd done.

Even Obito knew it was a sick and twisted thing to do to someone.

The boy, who he couldn't even come to call his nephew, really, licked the blood off of his fingertips, his eyes closed with utter rapture. It was probably the first time in years that this part was allowed full reigning over the entire body, not to mention killing. Obito stared at this being, trying to decide whether or not to kill the boy out of mercy.

But he needed him…

"Senju," he growled, pointing at the woman. Amai's smile slipped, and she raised an eyebrow in irritation. "Do what I told you to do. Make sure it's done well." She suddenly smiled brightly and evilly, reminding him somewhat of Kabuto. And Obito was _disgusted _by Kabuto. He sucked his teeth and turned away from Amai, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling in his stomach to see his nephew lick blood off of his fingers.

Thankfully, the screams of Uchiha Sasuke were enough to make him distracted. He was having several sealers he'd managed to find seal the soul of Uchiha Madara into Sasuke's body, as he was highly compatible with Madara in terms of chakra. But Sasuke kept holding up the process, he kept appealing to their senses of humanity. It was honestly annoying the living shit out of Obito to hear Sasuke screaming. Growling under his breath, Obito went up the stairs towards the sources of the screams.

"What's taking so long?" he barked.

Chiyo looked up, glaring at Obito. "It's not like it's a tailed beast, Uchiha. This is a person as evil as the demon itself. To seal a human within a human takes time when you're _not _Orochimaru and I suspect it takes a hell of a lot _more _when Orochimaru is sealed within you already. Sasuke's getting full. So _back the hell up and let me work_!" Sasuke screamed again, crying out in pain as the sealers pushed him down once again, allowing Chiyo to continue her processes. "Give me another half a day, at least. If I do this all at one time, I'm going to end up killing Sasuke here due to the shock alone. And I sincerely doubt you want Sasuke to die."

Obito growled. "One day. You have within the next day, and that's about as much time as you're going to get. So hurry up with this."

Chiyo scoffed. "Or what? You'll kill me, Uchiha? Lemme tell you, you're gonna have a slight problem with that." Chiyo shook her head, turning her complete attentions back to Sasuke. The boy's face was covered in sweat, and his face was contorted in pure pain. A couple of minutes ago, he'd almost suffered a heart attack from what they were doing. Two hours ago, he had a seizure. Chiyo was fully capable of reviving him, but every time she did it elongated the process. She wasn't sure how many more attacks he would suffer due to the stress, but she didn't doubt that it would simply just keep calm.

Almost exactly as she thought, Sasuke's eyes rolled into the back of his head as his entire body started to convulse. "Shit," said Chiyo, "Same thing again. Hold his head up so he won't choke on his vomit. I'm going to keep going with this seal. Do you have a good hold on him… oh, _shit, _is that blood again?" Chiyo sighed. This was going to be a _long _day. A very long day indeed, especially for Sasuke.

* * *

"He still isn't leading us astray. I think it's fair to trust him," murmured Kiba, sniffing at the air. "We're definitely headed in the right direction. Naruto's stinky-ass smell is all over this area, not to mention the fact that I saw a couple of Hinata's marks on some trees we passed a kilometer back."

Kankurō nodded, continuing forwards. To be completely honest, he'd believed Jūgo the moment he'd told him about the conversation he had with Hinata. The way he described her and her words to their conversation just _sounded _like her. Jūgo was telling the truth; no doubts about it. "Is it getting stronger, though, Kiba? The scent of Naruto, I mean." Kiba wrinkled his nose, and Kankurō suppressed the urge to snicker at his friend. He did not want to smell for him, and it was amusing to see him so against it.

Neji watched them out of the corner of his eye, equally amused by Kiba's facial expression. "Do you want me to look ahead, Shikamaru?"

"I dunno. Jūgo-san, how far out did you say the hideout was from our camps?" Shikamaru asked the larger male. He'd been surprised to know that he wasn't that much older than himself—he was, what, two or three years older? Just a little bit younger than Temari. Regardless of the small age difference, Shikamaru felt obliged to use proper honorifics with this man, even though Jūgo had told him that he wouldn't mind it if he just called him Jūgo.

"I dunno. I guessed it was about thirty kilometers? I think we're about five or so away now. I just remember it was closer to Konoha than our own camps were," said Jūgo over his shoulder, looking back at the pineapple-headed shinobi. "I can find it based on surroundings. You say that Hinata made markings in this area, Inuzuka-sama?"

"Yeah," said Kiba, his face falling back into the norm. "So we're closer than we thought, right?"

"Not necessarily. We were kind of circling the area around the hideout for a couple of hours before we actually went in. It was the only way to assure that while they were blindfolded, they wouldn't remember how to get there by pure touch. And I doubt the hideout's going to be hard to find. Leader-sama will probably use genjutsu all over the place in order to ensure that nobody can stop him. I need to look for gaps," said Jūgo.

"Makes sense," said Shikamaru, "And I assume they're not normal genjutsu, based on the fact that your leader is more than likely an Uchiha. At the very least, he possesses the Sharingan. So I doubt even Neji's eyes can find the gaps right now."

Neji sighed. "You're right. Hinata would be able to, though, probably very easily. But nobody else's Byakugan is as fine and possesses as broad of a spectrum as hers does."

Akamaru barked loudly, causing Kiba to stop in his tracks. He looked down at the quivering, fearful dog. "Akamaru? Hey, stop guys!" He dropped down to the branch Akamaru was standing on, crouching in front of his friend and rubbing his fur. "Akamaru, tell me what's wrong."

_BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD!_ Akamaru thought rapidly, his whine deep in the back of his throat. Akamaru wasn't afraid; nor was he even terrified. Kiba hadn't seen him this afraid since the first time they'd encountered Gaara at the Chūnin exams. The best way to describe this right now was that Akamaru was petrified. _IT'S OUT! GET AWAY! NOW! _

"What's wrong with him?" asked Kankurō, landing on the branch across from them, confused and worried about the dog.

"He's petrified of something," said Kiba, "And it's got him scared stiff. He wasn't as scared as…" He swallowed, remembering that Kankurō didn't know that their Genin squad been nearby when Gaara had killed that shinobi in cold blood. "I trust Akamaru's instincts, and they're telling him that we need to run, or hide. I suggest that we do so."

"Kiba…" said Kankurō before looking at Akamaru and sighing. "Carry him. We'll wait for it to pass on ground level."

Akamaru barked loudly, uncontrollably. Kiba had to clamp down on Akamaru's muzzle forcibly, slamming his jaws shut. It hurt Kiba to have to resort to such measures, but he knew it had to be done. He was suddenly more appreciative of his sense of smell more than before. He whistled at his group, getting their attentions in a second. He gestured that they all move closer to the trunks of the trees, out of possible line of sight.

Neji activated his Byakugan, interested in whoever it was that had Akamaru so afraid. He shivered upon realizing it was multitudes of dead shinobi, headed in masse in one direction. _Edo Tensei… I've heard of this technique. But where are they going, in such large numbers? _Neji looked through the crowd of shinobi, recognizing very few. Probably Konohagakure shinobi he'd crossed paths with once or twice, or maybe saw as a very young child. Nothing major… his eyes widened upon a particular face.

"Otousan…" he murmured.

"What?" hissed Shikamaru from his position higher up in the tree.

"My father is with them," he replied.

"Your father is dead," said Shikamaru bluntly.

"I'm aware," he responded irritably, "And I think that these shinobi are part of the technique called the Edo Tensei. Seeing my father solidified my beliefs."

"Is he leading the group?" asked Kankurō, who happened to still be in earshot of their conversation.

Neji squinted, pushing his Byakugan to its limits. "No. No, he's not. He just seems to be in the group. I think the leader is… it's a woman. It's definitely a woman, with dark hair going down to her shoulders. She's very beautiful, but she looks… not completely there. Not completely sane." He kept looking, searching for an indication of the groups intentions. This was so random, so freaky. "There's a kid there. He's got long hair; he's wearing a long robe… _holy fuck. _That's the guy who broke my leg!"

Shikamaru blinked. "Shikaru is with them?"

"Yes!" responded Neji.

"_Shit._" Shikamaru looked at Kankurō. "Contact the shinobi alliance, now. They're going for Konoha."

"How do you know?" asked Kankurō, fingers traveling upwards towards an earpiece that he could communicate with Gaara using.

"If Shikaru is with a woman who is both dead and off her rocker, then I have no doubts that that's his mother with him. And if that's his mother, then the only logical assumption is that they're going to start the annihilation of Konohagakure now. She's the only other one besides Hanabi that can cause a reaction big enough for Shikaru to kill, and he can kill. Konoha needs to prepare quickly. They need to shut down the village and hold anybody still left in strongholds, and they need to do it now!"

* * *

Gaara let his hand drop down numbly from his ear, both shocked and dazed by what Kankurō had told him. _Too soon. Too quickly. They're not getting the time they need… _He brought his hand back up to his ear and said, "Keep going with your mission, Kankurō. We'll do our end, so you do yours."

"Are you sure?" came Kankurō's voice from over the earpiece.

"Yes," responded Gaara, "I'm sure. I mean, your mission just did get easier, right? Now you only have to get Naruto, Uchiha, and Hinata-chan… Nara Shikaru is coming to us, after all."

"But… do you guys have enough? I mean, they have a Hyūga."

"And we have a hell of a lot more than they do. Don't worry about us, Kankurō. Worry about your troop. Worry about your mission. Let us do our parts." Gaara was uncertain about not bringing Kankurō back to Konohagakure to help out, but he knew that he needed him to get back those missing shinobi. They were the power cards of the entire war; whoever had them would win, if he was thinking from a purely military outlook of the situation. He needed them back; he couldn't give the Akatsuki time to actually achieve their goals.

He looked over at Kakashi, whose arms were crossed over his chest. "They're coming," he said simply, sighing. "We need to lock up Konoha right now. Get all remaining civilians to strongholds. We need to prepare to fight off total annihilation."

Kakashi nodded. "I already put in the order with Matsuri-chama. She's getting everything done right now." He looked out the window. It was odd for him to be in the Hokage's office without Tsunade berating him for being late or something. "We should probably alert Uchiha Shisui that the formerly deceased love of his life and his son are coming with an army prepared to destroy Konoha in its entirety," he said, his eye on Gaara.

"Tsunade wants to keep it from him. She doesn't want him distracted by his emotions for his family."

"So, basically, she's prepared to kill Shikaru if necessary."

"Correct," sighed Gaara, "If he's far beyond calming down. It's what she's told me personally that she believes he would want her to do to him. I don't have a doubt in my mind that it isn't the truth."

* * *

"No! I'm not going anywhere!" argued Hanabi, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance, pushing out her bottom lip. "You can't make me!"

"Hanabi, stop being difficult!" hissed Shizuka irritably, glaring at her. "Don't you understand that you'll get hurt if you're not protected, in the condition you're in? You barely got out of the hospital without screaming in pain! Do you really think that I'm just going to let you walk around the compound in the midst of possible annihilation?"

"I don't care! I'm a kunoichi of Konoha! I need to fight!" she screamed, indignant. She was completely ignoring the fact that she was injured; barely able to walk five feet without feeling incredibly tired. She was ignoring the fact that with her injuries, she needed someone who wasn't on the battlefield to attend to her. And, as he was an injured temporary Chūnin, he was on the battlefield and unable to tend to her, despite his medical ninjutsu abilities.

"Please, go with the other Genin, Hanabi," he begged now, grabbing her by her shoulders. "Just for once, listen to your father. Hell, do it for me. Just do it. Please, just swallow your pride and go in the stronghold." He hung his head, looking down at his feet. He just wanted her to be safe. She was so important to him; he couldn't bear it if he lost her. He didn't want her to die, and he didn't want to live with knowing that he'd been the one who hadn't stopped her from getting killed. Yes, that would be the worst thing—to know that you were your best friend's protector when she was killed in the heat of battle. He might as well have been the one who held her in place as the enemy stabbed her in the gut with a kunai.

No, he didn't want her to get hurt at all.

She stared at him. She never understood why he was so protective over him all the time, though she had never minded it so much until now. But now, it just seemed that he; and Shikaru as well, were just always standing in front of her. Always taking care of her, always trying to keep her safe. They were leaving her behind in skills now, and she was sick of it. She hated it; actually, she hated being pushed away by her closest friend because he had a few problems with her fighting with a little injury.

He kind of reminded her of what a mother would be sometimes, though, and that was the real kicker. She imagined a mother would be protective to a fault. It irritated her to no end at that moment to see him pulling the mother routine with her, his equal in combat. His own teammate; his best friend.

"No! I'm going!" she said, moving to push past him before he tightened his grip on her. "Shizuka, let go!"

"Forgive me," he murmured.

"Wha… Zuka-kun, what are you…!" she began to say before Shizuka surged his chakra into her stream, effectively shorting her out and causing her to fall into a deep sleep. He watched as her eyes slid slowly shut, and her muscles went lax. He was slightly pleased with himself for not letting her drop, but it was short lived when he reminded himself of the fact that he'd just knocked out his best friend because she wouldn't listen.

He handed her off to a young Uchiha girl, who nodded an affirmative and seemingly smiled flirtatiously at Shizuka. He smirked; slightly amused that war did not mean that flirting was not put on hold. "Don't let her get out when she wakes up. Also, be careful—she's got a temper."

Boy, would she have a tantrum when she woke up.

**By the by, for a bit of ironic-ness (not a word but IDC, I'm sleepy) Amai [甘い****] means 'sweet'. **

**Also, Shizuka [****静か****] means 'quiet, serene, peaceful'. Zuka (nickname just used by Hanabi) means 'drift, mound, hill'. And Shikaru [叱る****] means 'rebuke'. **

**Just thought you guys might be curious to know. **


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Of Parents, Part 2

**Well, you asked, I answered. Newest chapter! Messed up chapter, yes, but it is here. I like it. It fits in with the story. I added new roles to people I didn't think much about when I started this, but I thought they deserved it. :) **

**To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: so I see you really like Shikaru, huh? I'm glad. I worked damned hard on him. I'm really proud of him. And I'm glad you feel so strongly about the wellbeing of all the characters that are NOT assholes. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, at all. **

**HERE IS THE CHAPPIE! ENJOY! **

Hinata had been playing with Hanabi when she had gotten news that her mother had died. Her father had gone off to the hospital with her mother, something that Hinata had been slightly worried about in the beginning but now thought close to nothing about it. She understood that her father was needed by her mother's side—for what, she wasn't completely sure of, but she didn't question it. She just liked that her father was doing something so kind for her mother.

She had overheard the conversation between Kō and a messenger, an ANBU operative with a cat's mask. Hanabi had just lulled off to sleep, leaving the entire room completely silent and easy for her to be able to overhear the conversation. There had been complications, complications that Hinata hadn't understood until she'd taken a sexual education course at the Academy. Apparently, her mother had a damaged uterus, which combined with lung and heart problems, had been what had caused her death. In short, her heart couldn't handle the burden of giving birth due to the fact that it wasn't getting a more-than-averagely-sufficient supply of air because the right lung had actually just stopped working. And, to make matters worse, the umbilical chord had tangled around the baby's throat. They hadn't been able to save the baby—in short, it had been strangled and dead before it'd actually came into Hiashi's arms.

At that age, Hinata didn't know what to think of it. She was listening aptly, unable to look away, but she didn't know what to do. She wasn't sure how she should react to the news. She was actually in a state of shock, that moment when everything and nothing makes any sense. In that moment, she couldn't think of anything, but somehow, everything was running through her mind all at once in an incomprehensible mix.

When Kō and the ANBU opened the door to see the little girl, they'd been surprised to see her standing there, eyes unfocused and tearing, jaw slacked. At that age, Hinata was incredibly shy, and she hated being the center of attention. But now, uncharacteristically, she stood there, not running away from the spotlight. Numb. Detached.

That was how she felt now, to be staring into her mother's eyes once again. To be able see that small, kind smile her mother occasionally offered out of nervousness and apprehension. To see her fiddle with the hem of her shirt and to rub the ends of her hair together. Anyone else besides Hinata would be unnerved by this, but Hinata had used this moment to put into place her ANBU training. She refused to be touched by this moment. If she was, she would get attached. And if she got attached, she would be saddened when the moment disappeared again, like all moments with her mother had. She wasn't sure if she could take the same thing twice.

Hyūga Suki reached out her hand to touch her eldest daughter's face, unsurprised when Hinata had instinctively flinched away. Hinata had never really been one for physical contact when it was unnecessary, much like Hiashi. Hiashi had only really been able to tolerate being touched more than that needed by her, actually, and Hinata when she was really small and at her shiest. Suki let out a sigh and dropped her hand back to her side.

"Hinata, sweetheart, please look at me," she whispered to her daughter. She thought that eleven years passed since the time they'd last spoken would make Hinata want to at least speak to her. But, no. Hinata had shut down on her; as if she were being interrogated rather than she was just reuniting with her deceased mother. Suki could plainly see that Hinata had some amount of ANBU training—there was no way a normal shinobi could be _that _emotionless without the help of ANBU.

"I am," responded Hinata impassively, almost robotically. "I see you very well, Okaasan." Suki wanted to throttle whoever taught Hinata so well, because she easily surpassed her skills as an ANBU operative, and she had been the best during her employment. _It was probably Hatake Kakashi. Nobody else could ever be so emotionless, except for probably a ROOT operative. But I know that Hiashi would never subject Hinata to ROOT training. He'd rather give his dead carcass over to Kumogakure. _

"You know what I mean, Hinata," she whispered, reaching her hand out again to touch her daughter's forehead. Again, Hinata flinched and moved out of her way. "Please, Hinata, please say something to me. _Please. _Say you hate me or you want me to jump off of a bridge, or say that you love me and you missed me. Hell, say that you want me to go eat a cock. Just say _something_ to me, baby."

"Something." Suki wanted to scream out in frustration. That hadn't been quite what she meant, but it did count. After all, she had just said to 'just say something'. _Yes, definitely Hatake. No one else is as much as a smartass. _

The Fourth Kazekage came back into the spacious room, bearing a tray of food for Hinata. He nodded at Suki before putting the tray down in front of the girl. "I don't know if you're hungry, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to get you some food. You need to keep up your energies anyhow." Hinata's grumbling stomach was heard over the Kazekage's words, making him smirk in amusement when her face reddened as she heard her traitorous stomach make its presence known. "It looks like crap, and it probably tastes like that, but I figured it was better than nothing."

"I don't want it," she whispered, shaking her head.

The Kazekage was confused. "You're hungry. Of course you want it."

"I should rephrase, then," said Hinata, looking up at the Kazekage in order to glare at him with more hatred than Suki had ever thought her daughter could ever contain. "I don't want any of it from you. I want absolutely nothing of what you have to offer me. _Nothing._" The Kazekage cursed, remembering what Kankurō had told her about him. He'd tried to forget the entire happenings of the night, which had been… disgusting. Nobody wants to think of their children having sex, and he'd had to watch. The trauma of watching the two have intercourse (he refused to call it making love; calling it that would seem like he was justifying it, and there was no way in _hell _he would _ever_ justify something like that) had made him forget the conversation leading up to it.

So he forgot that she knew what he'd done to Kankurō, and he forgot that she was completely for him rotting in hell.

The Kazekage nodded, handing the food off to Suki, who then handed it to Hinata. It was a silent, sly way of saying that she really had no choice about the food's origins; which she automatically understood. The Kazekage just figured that she just didn't want something that directly touched his hand. He didn't mind it very much. It wasn't exactly like she was unjustified for hating him. He hated himself for what he'd done. For how much of a complete and total bastard he'd been to his own son, terrorizing him the way he had.

Hinata was glad that it'd been her mother to hand her the food from the Kazekage, otherwise she would've kept denying the food with her stubbornness. As much as she hated to admit it, she was actually very hungry, hungry enough to probably eat an entire bear and then go back for seconds. She gratefully ate the semi-burnt bowl of rice, too hungry to complain about the charred flavor; too hungry to speak at all, actually. The two reincarnated beings stared at her as she ate in silence, savoring every bite. Their stares crawled on her skin, but she did her best to ignore it.

"Hinata, you do understand that neither of us is here to harm you, correct?" asked Suki as her daughter ate in silence. Hinata flicked an impassive glance at the both of them before nodding. Suki sighed, relieved that Hinata knew that already. She thought that she had been prepping herself to fight them should they try to kill her. "From what I understand, as soon as Uchiha Sasuke has Uchiha Madara sealed inside of him, I am supposed to forcibly give you chakra in order to prolong the state in which you can control the Kyūbi."

"And you're okay with that?" responded Hinata in a detached voice.

"No, I'm not, but I don't have a choice," sighed Suki, looking down at her sandals, "I was never much of a genjutsu user, so I cannot break myself off from the Edo Tensei. I'm forced to do what the user wishes, and the user wishes for me to supply you with endless chakra in order for you to control the Kyūbi, even if I have to do it by force—and I will if I have to."

Hinata nodded. "Then you're going to have your work cut out for you, because I'm not going to do this willingly. I refuse to this willingly. The last time I manipulated the Kyūbi, someone almost lost their life."

Suki's jaw slackened. "Y-You c-controlled the Kyūbi a-already?" she asked, shocked. She knew that Wood-styled ninjutsu users could control the Kyūbi, but she had no idea that not only could her daughter really do it, but that she had done it. Hinata had always been too kind to wish harm onto someone, and to forcibly bring out and control the Nine-Tails was a wish of harm onto someone.

"Yes. Apparently, I don't last long enough, chakra-wise; for Obito. Apparently, he thought there was room for improvement if I am to do it once again. He is mistaken in his belief that he would ever get to see me do this once more. I lost control of my anger for once, and I nearly killed someone who I care about, even though the feeling is not mutual. I refuse to therefore take the life of everyone I care about," she said, putting the bowl down onto the tray. She licked her lips and wiped her mouth with her wrist, knowing her jacket was far dirtier than her skin.

The Kazekage stared at the girl, finding the defiance she exhibited to be most intriguing. Yes, she completely reminded him of Karura. He had no doubts in his mind that if Karura were still alive, she would have adored this black-haired girl.

* * *

Shizuka had never been in a Konoha that was silent before. It was unnerving not to see the street vendors, unnerving not to hear arguing between two shinobi returning from their most recent mission, unnerving not to see Academy kids playing games in the courtyard, unnerving not to hear or see _anything _that remotely resembled the village in which he'd lived his entire life.

Konohagakure, in its entirety, felt limp, dead, and all alone. Shizuka knew the feeling all too well. It was the feeling he'd get every time he had to say good-bye to his teammates. It was the feeling he had every time he had to sit in that kitchen with yet another bowl of rice. It was the feeling he had every time he had to turn off the lights and go to bed in that ceaselessly silent home of his. God, how he hated that home of his. Not a bit of it was something he wanted to live in. No, it all reminded him too much of his older brother, who had gone off on a mission one day and had never come home afterwards. It made him feel like he was stuck in the past, and he could never get out of it. Stuck and alone.

Like Konoha without its citizens.

Shizuka looked down to see a ball at his feet, partially deflated due to the lack of care from its owner, probably a child. Shizuka was reminded of the multiple games that he and Hanabi played with a ball very similar to the one before him. He picked it up, analyzing it. It was from the same manufacturer. That was why it looked so familiar to the other ball to him. Shizuka placed the deflated, flat end of the ball on top of the wood plank of the swing; hoping the owner would come back and see their long-lost ball and feel happy that they'd found it.

Like he had wished that his brother would feel when he came back from that mission. That mission he'd never returned from. The mission he'd left him all alone after. Shizuka bit his lip to remember his brother's smiling face. Shizuka didn't remember if he'd ever smiled like that to anyone else besides him. It'd made him feel special and wanted. Loved.

"Ah, Shizuka-sama, there you are," came the voice of Hyūga Hiashi, interrupting Shizuka's thoughts. Shizuka smiled softly at the man who he idolized so much. "What are you doing here? This is the last place I thought I would find you."

"I kind of just stopped here. I apologize," said Shizuka, peeling his eyes away from the ball.

"You're thinking about things," said Hiashi, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell about the Edo Tensei that was cast. You're worrying about it, I know it." Partially, Hiashi was right—Shizuka was worried about it. But that wasn't completely it. No, he was just unsure of himself right now. He lost his brother. He'd been left alone for so long. And now he had all these people to worry about, and he was unsure if he could bear the burden of losing them. He was unsure if he would be remembered if _he _died. He was unsure that if he was lost in the war, if people would really care about him.

"No, that's not it, Hiashi-sempai," said Shizuka with a sigh. "I'm not worried about it. I don't know really what to think about it." Shizuka looked down at his sandals. "Shikaru's going to be with them, and neither Naruto nor Shikamaru are here to calm him down, and Hanabi's locked up. That leaves me and Nara Shikaku on the list of people who could possibly deal with him, and I'm just wondering if the two of us are enough to deal with him. I'm wondering if I will step up when I'm needed and help Nara-san."

"It is a large burden for a kid your age," said Hiashi sadly, "And I do regret not sending you into the stronghold with Hanabi. I wish we didn't need you as much as we do. We're risking your life because we need you."

"I'm a shinobi. My life will always be at risk," said Shizuka.

"Nevertheless, you're eleven years old. You haven't done even half the things people are supposed to have done before they face death. You're supposed to be living right now, not getting ready to die."

"I've never quite clung to my life as is, sir. I've always been ready to die—I just… honestly, I never suspected that my time might come so quickly to me. It's all just sudden."

"And it is my fault that you have to feel this way. I am not making Hanabi have to feel this way. No one is making many of the other Genin feel this, either. You're the only Genin I know of out of all of Konohagakure that has to feel like he already has one foot inside the grave in the name of the Alliances."

"And I'm proud that I'm getting the chance to do so. What is better a better way to die than to die protecting the ones you love?"

"To die an old, fulfilled, retired shinobi with several grandchildren on the way; filling his days with endless cups of tea and board games with those you love would be one way."

"That _would_ be the dream. My brother wanted that, I think, though I think he also mentioned that he would be fat with a lot of money to spoil his children with. But he ended up giving his life to protect Konoha, and he did it for me and the rest of the village. He died a hero." Shizuka sighed contently. "I want to die someone that people are proud of. That is my only dream for my life."

* * *

Uchiha Shisui's arms were crossed over his chest, and his mouth was tightly set. If Kakashi were stupid, he would think that Shisui was just slightly terse. No, this was just the very bottommost edge of Shisui's fury, and Kakashi wasn't stupid enough to believe that it would grow. He looked at Gaara, who watched Shisui with apprehension evident in his features. He could sense that Shisui was about to fly off the deep end, and he knew that it was something he could live without seeing.

"So, Tsunade was going to hide the fact that my son is, in fact, Nara Shikaru… the very same who was taken by the Akatsuki," said Shisui in a tight, angry tone. "She was going to kill him should he be too unmanageable, and since I did not know of his changed name, I would never suspect of his death. Am I correct in this statement?"

"You have it in the most simplistic terms, that is correct," said Gaara, "Though you do assume that losing someone as valuable as your son would be, in fact, an easy decision for Tsunade."

"It sure sounds like it," growled Shisui. If he had eyes, Kakashi figured that his Sharingan would be active, the commas spinning around his pupil rapidly. "It sounds like there was absolutely no difficulty at all on Lady Tsunade's part to _kill my son in cold blood_."

"This was a decision of the council and of the Tsuchikage. Senju Amai made your son into a very dangerous weapon; a weapon we honestly do not have the man power to fight against," said Kakashi, "Having Shikaru on their side has tipped the odds in the Akatsuki's favor considerably. Besides, the Tsuchikage already believes that Shikaru should've been beheaded the moment his whereabouts had been found, but the Third Hokage and the entire Nara clan fought very hard for him to stay alive up until this point. Tsunade did fight for your son's right to live, but she was outnumbered in this case."

"Because the Uchiha were not given a voice. You say that the Uchiha were completely unjustified for hating the Kage's control on Konoha, but then you pull the same stunts over and over by refusing our voice on a matter such as this one. I am the acting clan head until Uchiha Sasuke comes of age, and I was not notified of any of this."

"The Tsuchikage didn't even allow the Nara's say. Trust me, with the Nara's voice, the numbers would have been more than sufficient to keep Shikaru alive, regardless of his status as Missing Nin and Threat to Safeties," said Kakashi. "We're telling you about this decision now because Shikaru is on his way back to Konoha with the soul intention of wiping it off the map. Nara Shikamaru is under the belief that the part of your son that is the killer is the part that is dominant at the moment. And if that is the dominant part, then stopping him will be harder than I'd like to admit out loud. He won't know how, in short."

"And you think killing him will be the solution?"

"We have to get through to him, but three out of the five known to be able to stop Shikaru while in his rampage are detained. That leaves one Genin in his troop and Nara Shikaku, and we're not sure of the level of 'the other guy's' dominance over his body and mind at the moment. The only person who has stopped him while in full-force is Uzumaki Naruto."

"And he is with the Akatsuki."

"Correct. Hyūga Hanabi is in the stronghold due to injury caused by Haruno Sakura. Nara Shikamaru is accompanying Sabaku nō Kankurō on his mission to take back all missing nin in the Akatsuki's possession," explained Gaara. Shisui nodded in understanding, calming down some to hear full explanations. "In short, I am telling you because the fact remains that you are Shikaru's father. Therefore, there is a high possibility that you might be able to stop him if all other means are to fail. In layman's terms, you are our failsafe."

"We figure that if you can distract and calm down Shikaru, we can seal Senju Amai, so there is no chance of 'the other guy' to sprout up once more at any point in the foreseeable future," interjected Kakashi.

"So you want me to suppress it. Like that has worked so well so far," scoffed Shisui, "Have any of you ever thought that you wouldn't have to worry about something like this should you allow the two to coexist peaceably? Both personalities to exist like the Jinchūriki do with their Tailed-Beast? It has always been a stupid idea of shinobi to believe that they will get further by suppressing the problem rather than dealing with it head-on."

"I'm sure someone's thought that, but it seems that Shikaru does not want to live side-by-side with it. He developed those mental blockers himself; he does the constant training to keep his emotions in check. It seems to work rather well."

"Unless he is provoked into acting. Hyūga Neji is proof of the destruction caused by suppression."

"You seem more focused on your son rather than Amai. Weren't the two of you in love?" asked Kakashi. Not that Kakashi thought it was wrong, per say; that Shisui would show concern for his son, but he thought that he should show at least a little something for Amai. Amai, the woman he so loved.

"We were. I still love her, but that doesn't mean that I think she's justified in what she's done. I can't even attempt to excuse her actions on our son's mental stability. I wish things were different, but I know that she needs to be taken out," said Shisui, "I wish I could say that this isn't my fault, but I know it is. If I hadn't faked my suicide, then… none of this would be my son's reality. I can't fix this for him, but I can do my best to make sure he knows that I'm sorry."

* * *

The sun was so bright. Brighter than Senju Obito remembered it ever being before. And so warm. Had it ever been this warm in his memories? He didn't even know. It didn't matter to him; he just knew that he liked it. He liked the peaceful feeling that the sun gave him as it danced on his face. He wanted to close his eyes and bask in it, but to bask would mean to stop moving, and to stop moving would unleash _way _too many aggravations for him to really be bothered with.

Besides, he was too busy to stop moving. He sighed and kept walking slowly behind the guard, keeping as silent as possible. Creator Amai suggested that he lead the sneak attack upon Konoha with several resurrected ones. He didn't care much for leading, it wasn't really his speed; but as long as he could spill the blood of those who posed a threat against his family he was okay. This guard was definitely against his family.

He wasn't worth chakra, though, so Obito just broke his neck instead.

Obito's entire purpose in life was to protect his family, and his personal mission was to make sure that Nara Shikaru was never fucked with. While he didn't appreciate that his thank-you was being shoved into an endless void without anything to speak with and only the ability to watch the world through Shikaru's eyes, he always cared about Shikaru, more than he cared about Creator Amai. Although, Obito could say that he cared more about the bugs in the dirt under his feet than he cared about Creator Amai. If he had his way, he'd kill her, too. She did nothing but hurt Shikaru. But Shikaru loved her, so he left her alone.

He turned to Hyūga Hizashi. "Look, I mostly do things by myself. I don't want anyone stealing my kills. So go off and do something else. You can go to a brothel for all I care. Just stay the fuck outta my way. Got it?" Hizashi raised an eyebrow simply, but he nodded nonetheless. Out of all those resurrected guys, Obito liked Hizashi the best. Hizashi looked kind, but he also had this I-Don't-Take-Any-Shit vibe about him. Hizashi kept him entertained the entire journey to Konohagakure. Obito smirked at him and softly punched his shoulder. "Hey. Give that jerk-off brother of yours a good punch, eh?"

Hizashi shook his head, suppressing a smile of amusement. "I think I'll do so. I'm bound to run into him sometime, after all."

"Yup. Konoha ain't that big," said Obito with a grin. "Besides, with all the killing and destruction I'm gonna be doing, I've got no doubts he'll be someone that I'll send your direction at some point."

"You are one crazy kid, Senju-san," said Hizashi with a soft chuckle.

"Hey, thanks, Hizashi-san. That means a lot," Obito said brightly, giving Hizashi a military salute. "Be safe, Hizashi-san."

"Don't die," responded Hizashi softly, returning the salute.

"Dyin' was never on the table for me," said Obito before jumping away, sensing oncoming shinobi. _They must have some cameras around the gate or something. That's the only thing that makes sense, _he thought, jumping to the top of a building. He could see _everything _in Konohagakure's borders from this place. He whistled lightly to himself. _No wonder Shikaru likes this place so much. It's impressive as fuck! _

Obito was glad that the crazy psychotic medical nin back at the Akatsuki headquarters had given him a temporary version of the Byakugan, especially a version as powerful as Hyūga Hinata's. At first, he'd been confused when that leader guy told him about the injections given to his eyes, largely confused when he went into anatomy and biology, and then something about temporary DNA fusions, but no longer did he care. Without it, he doubted he would have the ability to see as much as he could. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to see the highest concentration of people in a stronghold in the old Uchiha complex.

"Ooh, lots of bodies," said Obito, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "Lots of blood and bones and tissue. Lots of _warm _blood." He honestly couldn't wait to feel their liquid life rush over his fingers. Just the thought of it made him feel ecstatic.

"There he is!"

Obito turned around to see several shinobi behind him. Genin? Chūnin? Hmm, did it actually matter? Obito smiled to see them. _They must want me to start bloodshed early!_ He turned around, giving them enough respect to face them. He recognized one as someone who'd picked on Shikaru when he first came to Konoha. This kid was someone that Obito _really _wanted so bad to kill. He licked his lips, activating only the Sharingan—he wasn't worth the Rinnegan.

And, with a growl, Obito attacked.

* * *

"Shikaru's here." Shizuka's head snapped up from his hands, shocked to hear that his friend had moved that quickly. "He's here, and he's already killed five men. An ANBU and a group led by a Chūnin by the name of Mata Lee." Shizuka groaned and put his face in his hands. Lee was someone who'd been particularly rude towards Shikaru when they were younger. Lee was two years older and nearly two hundred pounds heavier than Shikaru. _But that just means that Lee couldn't run away from him fast enough. _

"Are you sure of their identities?" he asked.

"Yes. He left their faces intact," responded Hiashi. Shizuka shivered. Just because Shikaru left their faces alone did not mean they hadn't suffered for those few moments they'd still lived. "Shizuka, I don't feel comfortable about you facing him."

"I understand your concern; but I have no choice," he responded emptily, his hands still covering his face. He blinked back a few tears that he was afraid to let anyone see. He didn't want anyone to know he was definitely afraid; they would definitely kick him off the force then. "I'll be with Gaara and Nara Shikaku, as well as Uchiha Shisui. I think I'll be fine…"

Genma watched the boy carefully. Genma was still waiting assignment from 'General' Kakashi (a position he would never let Kakashi live down, ever) and happened to be in the same area with him. Genma remembered the days when Shizuka was younger, living with his older brother. Genma always thought the age difference between the two was kind of large—hell, Genma had only been a couple of years than Shizuka's brother—but he hadn't seen two brothers closer than the two of them were. Genma had been kind of close with the two, as his brother had been one of Genma's closest friends. But when he died, Genma completely left this kid alone, probably his biggest mistake. He let him grow up alone. That was a sick thing of him to do, but he couldn't see this kid's face and not be reminded of him.

Yūgao hadn't been able to, either.

It was completely unfair to the kid.

"Don't risk your life, Shizuka," muttered Genma, looking away from Shizuka. He had no right to tell the kid how to live his life, but he could at the very least show him that he didn't have to die for the sake of the village.

Shizuka's head snapped up, and he looked over at Genma. He hadn't spoken to him in _years_, why was he starting now? It was confusing him. Why didn't he show concern before now? Why did he wait? Shizuka didn't have time to ponder. He looked away from Genma, who as a child he had wanted to be like. Genma had been the closest thing he and his brother had to a father, or at the very least a voice of reason. "I have to. I've got people to protect."

Genma still couldn't look at this kid. He was _just like _his brother, down to his very marrow. He didn't cough a lot or have bags under his eyes like him, but otherwise, he was his brother through-and-through. It was to be understood. After his parents died unexpectedly, he'd taken in the newborn infant without even thinking twice about it. He named the kid because he never cried, and when he was growing up, he didn't make any sadness he had known to anyone. He tried to maintain peacefulness whenever possible.

Shizuka lived up to his name, though sometimes he could be just as violent as his brother was when he had to protect his loved ones.

"Gekkō," muttered Genma as he watched his late friend's little brother walk off into danger, feeling completely and utterly useless.

* * *

Gekkō Hayate looked behind himself, as if looking for something. This sudden movement did not go unnoticed by Hizashi.

"What?" he asked the shinobi.

"Ah? What?" responded Hayate, turning back around to look Hizashi in the eye. "Nothing. Sorry. I just… I could've sworn I heard somebody say my name… I dunno, I guess I'm finally just going crazy or something..."

* * *

"We're here," whispered Jūgo to the group behind him. Kankurō nodded, giving a silent okay for them to continue on. He was almost tingling with excitement. He was going to get her back! She was going to be with him again! It almost made him forget that he was still a little bit pissed at her for leaving in the first place, which was only natural considering the type of conversation they'd had before she'd ditched. But, at that moment, all he could think about was holding her once again, and making sure that she'd never disappear like that ever again.

"I smell a _lot _of Naruto," noted Kiba, and Akamaru gave an almost silent bark in agreement as he buried his nose into Kiba's hand. Kiba's nose was wrinkled in distaste. "When we get back to Konoha, I am going to buy Naruto a lifetime's supply of soap. No human being who washes on a regular basis is supposed to smell as bad as Naruto does."

Shikamaru snickered. "I will make that investment. If I hear Ino bitch one more time about the time that Naruto entered the flower shop and entire section filled with daisies wilted as he passed by, I'm going to stab her in the throat with an icing knife."

Neji smiled, slightly amused. "Let's remain focus here. We're only about a quarter of the way done with the mission right now. We need to find the three of them and get them all out before they're used."

Kankurō nodded, still smiling in amusement. "Right. Neji, can you locate their chakra signatures with your Byakugan?"

"No need for that; just ask somebody."

The five shinobi—and dog—whipped around to see a boy with a giant sword on his back, leaning lazily against the trunk of a nearby tree and sipping water out of a bottle, seemingly uncaring. Jūgo blinked. "Suigetsu? What're you doing out here?"

"Well, technically, I'm supposed to be keeping watch for the leader," said Suigetsu, "But he never specified what for, I guess, or if I need to kill anybody. Leaves kind of a gray area for me. He never said that if a friend of mine happens to pass through the area I'm watching I should turn him around at the very least. He never even said I actually had to do anything about it." He winked at Jūgo, smirking. "You see where I'm going with this, big guy?"

"I do, but why are you doing this?" asked Jūgo.

"I'm not too hot on the idea of being stuck in a genjutsu for the rest of my natural life," said Suigetsu in a definitely complaining tone of voice. "I prefer the real world as is. 'Sides, he's kinda forcing my idol to kill again, and while I don't understand it, 'cause killing is fun; I respect his decision. That alone makes me wanna kick the shit outta 'Madara'… who I guess is really _not _Madara after all. Nah, he's some guy called Uchiha Obito or something like that… you should tell that to your contacts in Konoha."

"You know about that?" asked Kankurō, surprised.

"I've been following you guys for the past few kilometers. It wasn't really all that hard, honestly. You're some noisy motherfuckers," said Suigetsu with a smile. "Anyways, those people you're looking for… Sasuke is closest right now. He's about fifty meters from the big-ass statue, in a big-ass room that guy Kabuto used for his weird experimentations. Jūgo knows what I'm talking about." Jūgo nodded. "The Jinchūriki is chained up and on the completely opposite side of the complex from where we are now. He's also heavily guarded and probably the weakest link at this moment, due to the fact that he's gotten the shit kicked outta him. Honestly, it'd probably be best if you got him out first. I'm just sayin'.

"And if you thought that Uzumaki was tricky, then you should get a load of this. Hyūga Hinata is on the roof of the compound, guarded by one long-distance fighter and some ex-ROOT chick that she looks a lot like. And this guy is freaky. He uses gold or some shit. He can make an eye to watch the room. A fucking eye! I thought that was some freaky shit. He's got some absolute defense… hey, why is the guy with the purple makeup on turning colors? Is he gonna chuck?"

All four of Kankurō's teammates turned to see him. He was an absolute wreck at this moment. He couldn't control his body, which was trembling with fear. His stomach kept twisting and turning, over and over, and the world was getting wobbly and dizzy. And he couldn't get enough air! What was with that? No matter how many breaths he took, he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. They were refusing the air.

"Shit, he's having a panic attack," said Kiba, staring at him. "S-Sit him down before he faints." Too late: Kankurō's legs couldn't hold him anymore. He dropped to the ground like a rock. His hand was on fire. Absolute fire. It needed water, cold water; or Hinata's cool, baby-soft skin. One of the two would be fine, but neither seemed to be readily available. He heard a scream rip through the air, and it didn't compute in his mind that it was him who was screaming until Shikamaru clamped his hand down on his mouth, smothering the scream.

_My father has my girlfriend, _was Kankurō's one coherent thought.

Neji sucked in a breath. He wasn't sure if Kankurō realized that he was speaking out loud at this moment, but he was screaming the words into Shikamaru's palm, and they could all hear him clearly. No wonder Kankurō was freaking out. From what Neji understood, he and his father did not have a good relationship while his father had lived. But he hadn't realized that not only was it not good, it was enough to make Kankurō panic at the thought of it. He looked up at Kiba and Shikamaru, whose faces were like granite.

"The Kazekage used to best Kankurō," whispered Shikamaru in an almost quiet voice. Temari had told him when they'd first started dating. It was something she was ashamed of, and it was something that Kankurō had to see the results of every day. And now to get the love of his life back, he had to face the man who robbed him of a childhood.

Something told Shikamaru that fate was against Kankurō.

* * *

The Kazekage looked again at the defiant teenaged girl. She hadn't moved or spoken to anyone in hours. He still found himself amused by her defiance. He thought it was good that she was being so difficult. He didn't want to help the Akatsuki cause, but he had no choice; whereas she still did. Of course, the choice wouldn't exist for very long, but she still had it.

_Power to her_, he figured.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Of Parents, Part 3

**Well. I apologize for the wait. Hopefully, after this week, the waits won't be so bad anymore. I'll actually be coming home from school with energy! Yes... :)  
**

**McKazekage****: saw your review for Chap. 26. I hadn't been able to write in a thanks due to the fact that I got notification _after_ I posted Chap. 27. Sorry about that. Hehe, yes, bludgeon Sakura... I have a plan for her. :) And yes, the Kazekage no longer has his head up the ass. ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: haha, no one likes Amai. But then again, no one is meant to (even I hate her, can't wait to be rid of her)! Thank you, LightXDarknessKH! BTW: your stories are so adorable! Teehee... **

Kiba groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose as Kankurō succumbed to the inner turmoil that was his current state of mind. Akamaru rubbed the older boy's cheeks, but nothing worked. Kankurō, in all sense of the terminology in the opinion of Kiba, had gone—temporarily, more than likely—batshit crazy.

They didn't have the time for batshit crazy.

It wasn't that Kiba didn't care about Kankurō, or that he wasn't worried about him at all, or even that he felt no pity about the subject of _why_ Kankurō was not himself. No, it was simply the fact that they needed Kankurō; but what good would he be if he was currently off his rocker? None; that was what, no help in the least bit. Kiba needed him to get Hinata and Naruto (and maybe Sasuke, if he felt up to it) out of there, and he really didn't savor the idea of losing more people. He didn't have the energy left to worry about more people. Yet, here he was, worrying about Kankurō, and feeling apprehensive about telling Gaara or even Temari. He was afraid they wouldn't hesitate to leave their posts to help their brother, and while he felt that to be honorable, the Alliance really couldn't afford for them to lose their focus.

"Kiba, what do you want to do?" Kiba blinked and looked up into the waiting faces of Shikamaru, Neji, and Jūgo. _Me…? _Kiba wondered. He could not disguise the fact that he was surprised. He thought that with Kankurō temporarily unavailable, all leadership would go to Shikamaru. So, why was it that they were looking at him? Shikamaru sighed and said, "Kankurō made it clear to me before we left that if anything were to happen to him, you'd take up his place. I think that constitutes a situation like this."

"But…" began Kiba, "I…"

"Kiba, we don't honestly have time for self-doubts," said Neji, "We have people we need to get out. We need to act. We can't just sit here and wait for Kankurō to wake up."

"I… I know!" said Kiba, "But, I am not suited…"

"What did I just say?" asked Neji irritably. "_We don't have time for this. _Figure something out, or you're just as useless as Kankurō is at the moment. Think, Kiba, think. Think up something for us to be doing."

Kiba rubbed his sweaty brown hair, biting his lip nervously.

"Are you sure he'll make a good leader? He doesn't seem trustworthy," voice Suigetsu by his tree. Kiba growled in annoyance, irritated by the sword-wielding shinobi behind him. He hated Suigetsu—hated him. He was grateful Suigetsu told them about what was going on, but he otherwise hated him. He still remembered him fighting alongside Sasuke, and so he had no respect for the boy. "Seems like a downright wimp to me."

"Suigetsu, stop," said Jūgo, the surprising amount of authoritarianism surprising the shinobi into silence. Jūgo sighed, looking uncharacteristically uneasy. "I trust this person, Kankurō, for no other reason than the fact that Hinata trusts him. Therefore, if I trust Kankurō and Kankurō trusts you, Kiba, then I shall follow you as well. That being said, please, make a strategy. My humanity wants to free all of them before any harm falls upon them."

Kiba stared, wide eyed. All this time, he'd had as much distrust for Jūgo as he did Sasuke. He hadn't realized that this guy had trusted him this whole time, hadn't realized that this guy could even be slightly loyal to someone who wasn't somebody that Orochimaru had interests in. No, what was surprising was that a guy like him, such a dangerous man; was loyal to someone like Hinata. But who wasn't loyal to someone like Hinata? She was someone that everyone would want to keep safe, even if she could take care of herself. She would do the very same for any of them.

Once again, he reminded himself why he was doing this. It was for her, it was for Naruto, it was for Hana, it was for Shino, it was for Kankurō, it was for everyone he would ever call even 'comrade'. Each and every person that could possibly cross his mind. This had expanded far beyond just Hinata for him; it'd become his entire world.

Kiba opened his eyes with a new light that made Jūgo want to smile. He was hoping to inspire him even slightly, but this was far beyond his imaginations. The fire burning in Kiba's eyes was a strength that could only be matched to Kankurō and Hinata.

* * *

Shizuka never possessed the name of Gekkō, like his brother did. He never wanted the name. It didn't make him feel closer to the parents that had died, or to the other members of a family he'd never known. If anything, to adopt the name of Gekkō would mean that Hayate would've been swallowed up in Shizuka's own solitude, something he didn't want his brother to experience. It was bad enough that Hayate had a constant sickness due to an overbalance of chakra compared to stamina in his body, and worse that Hayate had to see Shizuka come home with beatings due to the fact that his fellow civilian kids didn't quite like the world of shinobi. Shizuka didn't want to rope Hayate into his own problems by actually adopting the last name of a well-known shinobi.

He knew that his loneliness was, in part, self-inflicted. It was born out of a need to keep people safe. But when Hayate died, he realized finally what a moron he was being. Keeping himself in solitude did absolutely nothing to keep the people he cared about safe. But what did? Yes, that was the question. What did it take for one to keep those close to him safe? From what Shizuka could see, 'safety' was a relative term. His hypothesis was based on the fact that his best friend was _not _safe, and being close to him hadn't saved him in the least.

So what did it take to keep someone safe?

The destruction Shikaru had left in his wake was so indescribably horrific. Shizuka had never seen such a bloodied scene in his eleven years of life. He doubted one shinobi was still alive. The entire alleyway was a mess of blood and body parts. The medical shinobi in him wanted to heal every person who was injured, but he knew that it would make no difference. Either way, they would still all be dead.

"Shikaru!" screamed Shizuka, watching his friend's back. Shizuka had been the first of his group to locate the missing nin. The screams of the victims of Shikaru's wrath had been what had aided him, and he wished that he hadn't found Shikaru after all. After all, what kid wants to see their best friend covered in the blood of men and women they called comrades? None, that was the answer, none.

Shikaru turned slightly, his red Sharingan eye showing. "Another one I get to kill?" he asked gleefully, dropping the beheaded body of what looked to be an ANBU kunoichi to the ground. Shizuka hoped it wasn't Yūgao, his late brother's lover. He still worried about her plenty, even though she avoided him like the plague. Shikaru sneered. "You don't look very interesting."

Shizuka gulped. He knew he had to distinguish these two, right now. This was _not _Shikaru. Shikaru was not cocky or condescending, even towards his enemies. He was always speaking kindly and without animosity or venom in his tone. No, this was definitely Obito, the other personality within his friend's mind. He needed to think that. Only then could he even _think _about fighting with this entity.

_Yes. This is Obito._ Shizuka took another deep breath. _This is Obito._ Shizuka stared into Obito's cold, cynical, murderous eyes; untouched by the danger of the bloodline limits. This was no time for him to be afraid. No time at all. He had to be focused and intent. He had to strike like he was going to kill, because there was no way in hell Obito wasn't going to strike like that. No, Obito was going to strike as if Shizuka was a virus and he was a white-blood cell. There would be no mercy.

The silence was so thick that even a katana would not be able to pierce it. Both shinobi sized each other up, one thinking of how to best go about taking down their friend; the other thinking of how to best go about slicing up the weakling before them. Obito smirked, eyes flashing mischievously, and Shizuka knew he had to attack now or forever hold his peace.

Shizuka made the first move, throwing shuriken at Obito. He knew that Obito could dodge easily, the Sharingan made it so easy for him. His point was to simply distract him. Shizuka turned on his heel and ran out the alley, moving as fast as his body would allow without tearing it apart. "I've located him!" said Shizuka into his communication piece, "I'm leading him away from the Uchiha compound! Move quickly!"

"Shizuka, what're you think you're doing? Why the hell did you engage him?!" said Nara Shikaku.

"I saw no alternative. He was killing shinobi like flies. I had to do something!" responded Shizuka, looking behind him. Obito was catching up, fast. He knew he was prey for this being now. They were cat and mouse, and it was for that reason that Shizuka was slightly scared down. "Would all of you hurry up and get your old asses over here?! We need to take him out _now_!"

Shizuka was sure they'd responded, but he couldn't hear them. Obito had caught up to him and kicked him hard in the ribs, sending him flying into the nearest Konoha police headquarters. Shizuka broke through the wall of the structure easily, breaking through one support beam before he lost momentum and tumbled to the ground. He hacked up blood, mixing the redness with vomit and saliva.

"You're still alive?" said Obito from the hole Shizuka made upon entrance, arms crossed over his chest. "You're hardy, I'll give you that. But… that just means I'll get to play with you all the longer!" he cried out in glee, hopping onto the wooden floor and walking to Shizuka's trembling body, grabbing the boy by his neck and beginning to hoist him up. Shizuka used this opportunity to kick Obito as hard as he could, jamming his knee into the boy's face, effectively shattering Obito's nose. Shizuka was dropped back to the ground, and he took the newest opening to use a Fire Release jutsu, setting the floor at Obito's feet aflame in order to get away fast. Of course, to get away fast he'd had to jump through a _closed _window, effectively cutting up his arms and shins, but he got away.

"Shizuka? What happened?" said what sounded like Gaara.

"Fuck!" said Shizuka, pulling out a glass shard. Fresh blood dripped out of the wounds, but it wasn't an unmanageable amount in Shizuka's mind. "I… I'm injured, but I'll live. The target is in the Konoha police station closest to the Hatake compound, but I doubt we'll be here for very long. Every time he comes for me, I'm going to lead him as far away as possible. I'm trying for a linear path, but it's proving to be very difficult."

"We're on our way to you now. Try to keep him where he is," ordered Gaara. "Do not let him travel, do you hear me? Do not let him go anywhere in Konoha."

"I'll try," sighed Shizuka, healing his wounds with his own chakra. "I'll do the best I can, but it's hard."

"That's not Shikaru you're fighting. Just remember that," Gaara told him. Shizuka sighed again. He knew that, but the fact remained that while it was a different personality, it was still his friend's body. It was still Shikaru, physically, that he was bringing harm to, and that bothered him to no end. He couldn't be a detached fighter about somebody he cared about. He just didn't have the capacity to do it.

"I know it's Obito. But you also do not know Shikaru as well as I do," said Shizuka. "This is against his will, all of it. He doesn't want any of it."

"Ah, so you're his friend?" interrupted Obito, scaring Shizuka. He jumped away ten feet, shaken by the silent way that his opponent had snuck up upon him. Obito used chakra in order to stand on the wall above his head, arms crossed over his chest. Neither the Rinnegan nor Sharingan were active, which worried Shizuka immensely due to the fact that Obito was a more competent shinobi than Shizuka could ever imagine any one person to be, and he knew the only way for Obito to be that way was that Shikaru was too. This was a testament to how far beyond Shikaru was of his age group. _He should be a Jōnin, _thought Shizuka.

"That's right. I'm his friend, Shizuka," he responded uncertainly.

Obito raised an eyebrow and nodded; his black eyes completely on Shizuka's face. Shizuka was slightly scared by his stare, but he said nothing, nor did he look away. He held it, refusing to show his fear and distaste by looking away. "Ah, right. I remember you now. You're the quiet one. His teammate or somethin' like that. Am I right?"

Shizuka nodded. "Yes."

Obito rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… this is awkward. 'Cause I've figured out that you're a pretty strong guy, stronger than most people I get to kill; so this is pretty excitin' for me. I mean, I really want to kill you, kid, lemme tell you first hand," gushed Obito. In the back of Shizuka's mind, he realized that for Obito, this was the equivalent of a complement. "But, uh… the kid wouldn't like it very much if I killed you. Shikaru, I mean. Yeah, he'd get real pissed about that. I ain't tryin' to make him mad or anything. The last thing I really want is for him to hate me. All I wanna do is protect him, you know?" Shizuka raised an eyebrow, surprised by Obito's words. He'd never suspected the other personality within his friend to actually not to want to destroy everything and everyone—in short, it seemed to Shizuka that Obito had the barest of a conscience on him.

"So you're not going to kill me?" asked Shizuka.

Obito rubbed the back of his neck. "Nah, it seems I ain't," he responded, jumping off of the wall and onto the ground. "But that don't mean I'm just gonna let you go. You took up a lot of time I could've spent killin' people, and I like killin' people. So, I'm gonna play a game. I'm gonna see how much blood you lose before losing consciousness. It'll be a testament to your strength, so I guess you can say I'm doin' this for you."

Shizuka pulled a kunai out of his weapons pouch. "What makes you think that I'll let you cut me up enough to see that?"

Obito chuckled, closing his black eyes. "Wow. The cockiness," he said, "What makes you think that you can do anything to stop me?" With that, Obito's eyes snapped open, both Rinnegan and Sharingan active, seriousness evident. No playfulness or mischief plagued his features. He was deadly intent. "Don't forget to put up a fight, yeah? Otherwise, I won't enjoy myself nearly half as much."

"Count on it," said Shizuka, eyes not moving off of Obito's body for a second. Since this was still Shikaru's body he was using, and in part Shikaru's techniques, chakras, and strategies; their movements could not be very dissimilar. No, Shizuka had the feeling that the two fought _exactly _the same. But Shizuka could not account for one thing that every shinobi who ever encountered Nara Shikaru forgot, and it was that where Shikaru would hold back, Senju Obito definitely wouldn't.

And speed was a part of the things that Shikaru held back in, as well as power. It didn't compute until Shizuka realized that Obito basically disappeared right before his eyes, only to reappear a half-meter away from him, bringing his fist down on Shizuka's chest. A rib cracked under the power which sent Shizuka flying back a good few meters. His heart thumped in his chest, painfully slamming against his breast plate. Shizuka spat out blood onto the ground, attempting to catch his breath. _He's going to make sure every part of me hurts, _thought Shizuka. _Where are they…?_

* * *

His group had been detained, fighting their way through the reincarnated shinobi. They were all largely uninjured, especially Shisui; which boggled both Gaara and Shikaku's mind but neither had the will or guts to question it. They had no doubts that Amai was the strategic leader of this attack, and that she somehow knew that they were attempting to get to Shikaru. Whether or not that she knew that her lover was in this group was an open-ended response for all three, but it hardly mattered.

They just needed to get to Shizuka. They weren't sure of what the other side of Shikaru would possibly do to his teammate, and it was definitely something they didn't want to think about. But it was worrying them all immensely, especially when he didn't respond to their latest attempt of communication.

They all had promised to keep the shinobi safe, a pact that Hiashi would've forced them to sign in blood if he could've legally. Hiashi cared for Shizuka's very well being, and he swore to have all three of their heads if Shizuka was killed. Gaara put it down to a father/son-like relationship the two seemed to share and made the promise to the Hyūga head without a second thought. After all, Gaara had figured, what were the chances that Shizuka would actually get hurt?

_High, _thought Gaara, _very high. _He hadn't expected that Shizuka would take on Shikaru all by his lonesome, but it made logical sense—Shikaru was killing his fellow Leaf shinobi right before his eyes, and he was close to a place that contained more than fifty civilians, remaining Uchiha members, and one probably very irritated, but injured Hyūga Hanabi. What he did was to protect those people. But Gaara knew that Shikaru was so far beyond Shizuka's level, and Shizuka wasn't actually a weak shinobi. In fact, if he were in Sunagakure, Shizuka would already be a Jōnin. That made Shikaru easily stronger than the Sannin had been, and he probably surpassed the Kage in strength.

"Gaara-sama, we need to hurry," said Shisui, interrupting Gaara's thoughts.

"Hmm? Why?" asked Gaara of the blind man besides him. He had no idea how Shisui could run like him and not trip or run into a wall, but he was fully capable and was doing it easily. "We're already moving as fast as possible…"

"Shizuka's chakra levels are running low. I can barely sense him right now," explained Shisui urgently, pressing forward. Gaara cursed internally. _Dammit! _They couldn't afford to lose someone like Shizuka. Shizuka was one of the very few who could bring back out Nara Shikaru. Gaara increased his pace with chakra, and Shikaku did the same.

* * *

"My, my, you're still standin'. Congrats."

Shizuka's arm shook, barely able to support the weight of the almost weightless kunai. His other arm hung limply and uselessly, simply weighing him down. His legs were barely able to support his weight, covered with both deep and shallow cuts. He was sure that all the bones in his right arm were completely shattered, and making hand signs for jutsu was completely out of the question. Standing upright was taxing and tiring. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and fade away, but he wasn't sure he'd wake up. His Alliance hitai-ate was on the ground not too far away from him, its surface scratched into an almost unrecognizable state. He could actually see the black cloth beneath its metal surface. He was glad he'd taken it off when he had; he'd almost died when Obito had cut through it.

Obito struck him again, and once again he fell. After this much abuse, it didn't even really hurt. All it made him want was to fall asleep more, and that made his stubbornness grow even more. He forced himself to his feet again and tried striking out at Obito, which he deflected as if Shizuka was no more than a temperamental child.

"Ah, Obito, there you are!" called a feminine voice. He turned his head enough to see a woman with long hair and black eyes that marked her as a reincarnation coming towards Obito. Obito growled, telling Shizuka inadvertently that he held no love for the woman, yet, he did not attack her. The only solution that Shizuka could make for this was that it was Shikaru's mother whom he was facing. Already, Shizuka burned with hatred for the woman, and he didn't even know her. "What are you doing, playing around with your prey? Kill him."

"He's important to Shikaru," said Obito, letting go of Shizuka's wrist.

"So that is why you've beaten him to a point where he's barely standing?" asked Amai, delicate eyebrow raised.

"I have my reasons," said Obito, bringing his fist sailing upon Shizuka's cheek, making him drop like a rock for the umpteenth time. "Though, by the way he keeps gettin' back up, I think he kinda likes gettin' the shit kicked outta him." As Obito spoke, Shizuka stood up again in defiance, his eyes half-focused and his smile shaky. "Why're you smiling, eh, kid? You're gettin' the shit kicked outta you, and you're smiling. Where in fuck's name does that make any sense?"

_ To be honest, _thought Shizuka, _I dunno why I'm smiling. _He stumbled towards Obito, aiming to strike violently but knowing he didn't even have the strength to move his arm anymore. So he fell powerlessly against Obito, his head on his shoulder; much to Obito's surprise. Shizuka used this opportunity to stab Obito in the hip, the kunai breaking through skin and muscle. Obito hissed and pushed Shizuka away, cursing. Shizuka landed on his back, air barely coming to his lungs. _Maybe that was why. I really dunno…_ Obito kicked him in his side in frustration, yelling out profanities. The smile didn't fall from Shizuka's lips at all.

Obito pulled the kunai out of his side, wincing in pain. It added to the other strikes Shizuka had managed to give him. _Not bad, not bad at all. _The only guy who'd ever hurt him was that Naruto guy, Shikaru's sensei. Pain was still a relatively new sensation to Obito, and one thing he knew was that he didn't like it at all. "Creator!" he barked at Amai, dropping the bloodied kunai next to Shizuka, who was barely hanging onto both consciousness and life. "Heal me, now! I need to go to the Uchiha compound!"

* * *

Nara Shikaku had seen many a terrible thing in his lifetime, and he considered that in his line of work, there was always room for more. But as the most terrible thing, this definitely took the cake on the scale. Immediately, he put his ear down onto Shizuka's chest, checking for even the slightest flickers of life. Dully and almost on a miniscule scale, Shizuka's heart thumped faintly in his chest. "He's alive," he sighed in relief, letting go a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

Gaara sighed in relief. "Thank God," he said, running his fingers through his sweaty red locks. He was glad they'd gotten there when they had. Sure, they missed Shikaru, but if they'd been any later, he had no doubts that Shizuka's heart would've failed him already, and they would've lost him.

Shisui's hands gingerly brushed over the injuries that covered Shizuka's bodies, his surprise growing with each one. Not one inch of Shizuka went untouched by Shikaru, and it was definitely not a good thing. They weren't all shallow, but none had been deep enough to spill too much blood. Shikaru had aimed not to kill Shizuka, but to instead make him suffer, a fate much worse than death. But there was a silver lining… "Shikaru's still in there, somewhere."

"What makes you say that? This could just be a luck thing," said Gaara.

Shikaku shook his head. "No. No, if Shikaru was aiming to kill Shizuka, then this battlefield would be a whole lot messier than it is," he said, looking down at Shizuka's blood-smeared chin. "Shizuka's intestines would at least cover the ground, and I am low-balling right now. The other guy was not aiming to kill Shizuka, and the only reason he might do that is because Shikaru would be most against it if he did, just like Shikaru would be against the other guy bringing harm to Amai. When it comes down to it, and it seemed not even Shikaru has figured this out; the other guys wants what Shikaru wants. And Shikaru would never want Shizuka dead."

"So killing him is not necessary," said Shisui, "We just need to bring him out." His hands glowed with green chakra as he began to heal the worst of Shizuka's injuries, starting with Shizuka's shattered right arm. He wondered if medical ninjutsu was enough—it felt like his bone had been reduced to nothing but powder covered by tissue.

Shisui wished he could see this boy as an actual person, but he couldn't. All he could 'see' was a body of chakra, and that was simply what his senses could put together for him as a way for him to be aware of his surroundings. His senses accumulated together in order to act as his 'eyes', and normally that was fine, but he wanted to see this kid now. This strong kid who had guts that Shisui had only achieved through killing people. He wanted to look this boy in the eyes and show him the amount of respect he had for him.

"F-Finally… you… old farts… g-got here…" mumbled Shizuka as he came to. Shisui was glad that the boy could be rude right now. That meant he was healing better than he could ever expect. His heart beat stronger and his lungs allowed more air. "I-It… took you guys… long enough…"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," responded Shikaku softly, wiping the blood from Shizuka's chin. "But… traffic…"

"Uh-huh… b-blame traffic… for being… old… f-farts, right…?" said Shizuka. He was still weak, still injured. Shisui couldn't do much about that, but he was glad he brought him back from the brink of death. "I-I guess… I… d-didn't do much, though… so I… shouldn't… bitch you guys… out… about… being… late…"

"You did a lot," whispered Gaara, "More than you had to. Now you should sleep."

"Sleep…? Nah… sleeping is… for… p… p…" Shizuka trailed off, and Shisui didn't need eyes to know that the kid just couldn't stay up any longer. He really did need to sleep, and he finally succumbed to that need. He softly breathed, in and out, that steady motion reassuring Shisui that the kid didn't just die on them. Shisui sighed softly with relief—he would hate it if it turned out that after all the effort he just went through that he ended up dead anyways after the abuse his son had dealt.

Shisui stood up as Gaara's sand enveloped Shizuka's body, picking him up off the ground. They couldn't leave him there, nor could they afford to separate. The only logical choice was to bring Shizuka along with them. Gaara looked at the boy's sleeping face, noting he didn't sleep with an ounce of peace in his features. No, he was uneasy and looked like he was about to be physically sick. Gaara felt sorry for the boy, even though he hardly knew him. All he knew was that he, himself, would probably be unable to take even half of the abuse he'd just taken from his friend.

"He's like Naruto," sighed Gaara, shaking his head, "He's just like Naruto." Naruto would be the type of person to take such a beating in the name of friendship, and he would be the type to try and hide any pain he possibly could. "He has no family, does he…?"

"None. He was a newborn when his parents were killed in a house fire. His older brother took him in, but he died nearly four years ago," said Shikaku, "His brother's name was Gekkō Hayate… he was the proctor for the Chūnin exams before he was killed." Gaara winced. The name sounded familiar to him. _Didn't Baki_… no, Gaara couldn't think about that now. He refused to. To feel guilt right now would not be the best thing for the group. No, he needed to focus. They needed to get to Shikaru, and they needed to do whatever it took to stop him.

But he needed to think for all possible scenarios. His first order of business was to make sure that no more lives were lost, and seeing as how he was heading to the stronghold filled with so many people, they were his priority. He needed to get them out before Shikaru got there. Gaara looked over at Shikaku. "Tell me, who is either stationed closest to the Uchiha compound or can get there the swiftest?"

Shikaku thought for the barest amount of time. Gaara was glad he had a strategic mind like Shikaku's, otherwise he wasn't sure what he'd do without him. He knew that Shikaku was already on the same page as him. "Kakashi. Kakashi is by far the closest and he can be there within seconds."

He nodded. "Good." Gaara put his finger to the earpiece. "Kakashi, do you read? I think I need your assistance."

Kakashi didn't hesitate with his response to Gaara. "Tell me exactly what you need."

* * *

"Hey! Hey! HEY! HEY! _HEY! HEY!_" screamed Kiba, octave raising to an almost shrilly level. Immediately, several reincarnated shinobi looked his way, confused by the boy with fang tattoos on his cheeks. "HEY, MOTHERFUCKERS! CM'HERE!" Kiba said, waving his arms like a drunken moron. Shikamaru sighed, embarrassed for Kiba. Certainly, he was a good distraction—his impersonation of himself drunk was definitely spot-on, he would know—but this was beyond demeaning. And, oddly enough, Kiba had given _himself _this position in the plan. But, then again, Kiba was more than suitable.

"Go, go!" whispered Neji, bumping against Shikamaru's back. Shikamaru nodded in affirmative, keeping his crouch as he jogged in the shadows of the tree line, following Suigetsu's bright white hair with ease. The four left Kiba and Akamaru behind with Kankurō, knowing that as soon as Kankurō came to the three would join them in a heartbeat. But, for now, they were otherwise busy.

Kiba decided to put aside his personal problems with Suigetsu (something Shikamaru had never seen the dog ninja do) and decided to take him on his advice. They were going for Naruto first, as he was probably the most important pieces. Without Naruto, the plan was not going to function at all. It just wouldn't work without the Kyūbi, without anything for Hinata to control. Of course, they weren't stupid enough to believe that they wouldn't try to get Naruto back, but they figured that they could get him far enough away before dealing with getting Sasuke.

Of course, hearing Sasuke's screams hadn't been equated.

"The fuck?" said Neji in a hoarse whisper, taken off guard by the sounds of pure terror coming from what was obviously the Uchiha avenger. Suigetsu managed to blanch slightly, something Shikamaru hadn't thought to be possible.

"They're trying to seal Uchiha Madara into Sasuke," explained Suigetsu, biting his lip, his purple eyes filled with what only Shikamaru could interpret to be the slightest amount of pity. "I don't believe it's been going so well so far," he said as another screech pierced the air, the shrill sounds ripping through the air space around their ears and tearing at their ear drums; making their heads pound. They couldn't think with Sasuke's screams; all of them just wanted to make it stop. Even Suigetsu, who usually couldn't give a damn.

Jūgo clapped his hand down on Suigetsu's arm, softly pushing the shinobi out of his way. "O-Oi! What're you think you're doing, eh?" asked Suigetsu indignantly, surprised by Jūgo's sudden movement. Jūgo never moved like this. He never led up a group or even tried to push someone in a group away. "We're going to get…"

"You're getting Uzumaki. I am going to get Sasuke," responded Jūgo in an icy tone, leaving absolutely no room for argument. Suigetsu's eyes widened. Jūgo was definitely being surprisingly authoritative this day, from what he could see. It was not in Jūgo's character to be this way; he would know the best. Jūgo turned slightly to face his comrade, his orange eyes looking at Suigetsu's face over and over. And then he did the most surprising thing.

He actually smiled reassuringly.

And the weird thing was, Suigetsu didn't find this to be weird. _This is her gift, ain't it, _he wondered as Jūgo turned, heading down in the direction of Sasuke's screams, _it's to make the people around her act more courageously. I dunno if it's a human nature thing to compensate or something, but it happened to Jūgo, it happened to that moron out there… _Suigetsu smiled to himself. He didn't mind it. He never doubted that Jūgo could be less fearful, more courageous. Sasuke had started the process in Jūgo, and Hinata simply finished it. He was just glad that it finally happened.

"C'mon," said Suigetsu, purple eyes on Jūgo's broad back. His hand lifted up to Zabuza's old blade. "We've got an annoying Jinchūriki to get back."

* * *

Kiba had known that he was fighting reincarnated souls. He knew that fighting reincarnated souls was work. But he hadn't understood quite how much work it was. He hadn't understood how fast they regenerate body parts. And he also hadn't understood how _exhausting _it was to fight someone who you just couldn't injure.

"Akamaru!" he yelled out when his partner fell right before he himself was knocked into a tree, hitting it face first, breaking his jaw. He groaned, wincing in pain, getting up. _This is so much, _he thought, _why did I think that this was a good idea? Why didn't we all go inside? _His eyes found Kankurō's form. _Oh, yeah. That. Kankurō, you bastard, get up! I could use some help right now! Right now, right now, asshat! _

"What, are you tired?" taunted a reincarnated soul. Kiba would've gritted his teeth if it weren't so painful to move his jaw. This guy was particularly annoying, because he wouldn't just _shut the fuck up_. Really. He just could not. It was physically impossible!

Akamaru barked at him before someone stepped on his side, making him cry out in pain. Kiba growled, angered that someone would do that to _his _dog. Kiba lunged, claws out, only to get punched down to the ground, knocked delirious by the punch. He was sure he was broken in a few places, and bleeding in more than one. But he had no time to think about it. He just wanted to assure that his two objectives were met. 'Provide a distraction for the group' was one, and 'Protect Kankurō until he wakes up' was the other. He got to his feet only to have them kicked out from underneath him, causing him to land painfully on his side.

It wasn't bad compared to other people's injuries, in Kiba's opinion, but he knew it was pretty damned bad. Bad enough that he was succumbing to unconsciousness. _No, dammit! _Kiba thought, fighting against his heavy eyelids. _I can't… everything may very well be swirling, everything may look so weird, and sleep must feel so good; but I can't go out… I can't… I need to protect Kankurō…_

Of course, Kiba was too delirious, by this point, to know that Kankurō no longer needed protecting. He was aware, he was decisive, and he was furious. His chakra burned the surrounding area, literally sucking away oxygen from Kiba's needy lungs. He was going to take them _out, _all of them. Every single one would pay for even thinking they could harm his comrade, one of his closest friends; and not get away with it.

They would pay.

Far off, Hyūga Hinata felt this spike in such a familiar chakra, and despite her situation, she smiled, confusing her two watchers. She hadn't smile at all for the time they'd been watching her. To see that smile now was the oddest thing either of them could imagine. But, uncharacteristically, she didn't care that they were staring at her; she was too glad at the moment. She rubbed her neck, which was still covered with hickeys from Kankurō. _Please come soon, _she thought.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Of Protectors

**The LONGEST chapter I've ever written for this fic. Like, holy crap. This is pretty damn long. 16 pages, 129 paragraphs, and 7,206 actual words (A/N not included). I'm amazed I had that much to write, considering I had a big block while writing this. I can only say this once more: DAAAAMN. **

**In another news, I was taking a look at the number of readers the chapters get earlier, for curiosity, and I was laughing really hard when I realized that I get more readers on the lemon chapters rather than any other chapter. Hehe, I see you, dirty perverts! You're not smooth! lol. **

**To ****McKazekage****: yeah, I agree. That was really painful to write, never mind to review and edit! It was actually far more gruesome before my edits... I kind of gave the sweetened up version because I like Shizuka too much. But if you found THAT painful, you're not going to like what I did in this chapter. (NO ONE IS DYING, OR AT LEAST NONE OF THE CHARACTERS YOU LIKE ARE DYING. PLEASE KEEP THAT IN MIND!) But I'm glad you felt sorry for Shizuka. To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: hehe, thanks thanks! That made my day. I think I actually kind of teared up a little bit with this one. And don't worry about Kankuro; he'll be A-OK! **

**ENJOY!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. **

Gaara let Shizuka out of his sand once they reached the Uchiha complex, leaving him in the farthest section he could find from the complex. He didn't want Shizuka to get harmed during the battle, nor did he want to even think about Shizuka being anywhere _near_ harm's way while a battle like the one he was expecting to take place was going on. Gaara looked once again at the boy's pained facial expression and found himself wanting desperately to fix it for him, though he knew that he couldn't do jack shit about the boy's pain.

"Shiranui-sama," said Gaara upon rejoining the small group of shinobi, "Shizuka is hidden safely in the eastern part of the complex. I would appreciate it greatly if you went and kept watch on him." Genma nodded. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Usually, Genma would've made a smart-ass comment before leaving, but right now he just agreed and moved on. _Oh, yeah… wasn't he… Hayate's little brother? _Kakashi wondered, crossing his arms. It made sense now, why Genma wouldn't argue. Though he would never admit it, Genma wanted to keep watch on the boy. "Kakashi, is Rock Lee escorting the civilians to safety?"

"As we speak," responded Kakashi, crouching down on top of the entrance to the stronghold. "And Hanabi is fully setting up down below." In the back of his mind, he doubted Gaara's decision to drag Hanabi into their issues, knowing she was still in a weakened state due to her fight with Neji. She still had a weakened chakra level from her injuries, and getting her involved put her in so much danger. He sighed and tapped on the slab of stone that covered the entrance. "Hanabi, how're you doing?" he said loudly.

"Fine!" she yelled back at Kakashi, but Kakashi could tell she was lying. Even from his position here, he could hear the fatigue in her voice. Kakashi gave Gaara a stare, asking him without speaking if he really thought that it was a good idea to push their luck with her. "M-Miyu-chan will help me if anything goes wrong!"

Gaara's eyebrow rose. "Miyu?"

"One of mine," sighed Shisui, "She's a couple of years younger than Hanabi, only a baby when the massacre took place. And she's also incredibly stubborn sometimes. She must've managed to convince Hanabi that she was of use and allow her to stay. She knows a moderate amount of ninjutsu, but not a lot as she doesn't have formal ninjutsu training. She also does not have the Sharingan, as most of the post-massacre Uchiha children don't."

"So she's basically a civilian," said Kakashi.

Shisui shrugged. "If you want to see it that way, yes, she is. I mean, she knows some amount of medical ninjutsu, enough for me to stave off any infections in my eye sockets…" The men all held back shivers of distaste when he said eye sockets, remembering what it was like to see a person without any eyes. He tended to keep them out of sight behind the sunglasses and shaggy hair, but when he really wanted to terrify someone into getting what he wanted…

"So we should get her out," said Shikaku, "We don't want any bystanders harmed…"

"We're lucky we got as many people out as we have," sighed Kakashi, rubbing the back of his head, "We can't take the risk by taking the girl out now. Right now, she's safer down there, with Hanabi." Kakashi stood up. "Besides, who knows? Maybe she'll stop Hanabi from doing something extremely stupid." Kakashi tilted his head back, taking a sniff at the air. "He's on his way, and from the pheromones he's releasing, he's pissed. We're going to have our work cut out for us."

Shisui's brow furrowed behind his shaggy hair. "He's not alone. There are several shinobi with him." He bit his lip. "One of them feels like Amai." Kakashi stared at Shisui, wondering if the Uchiha leader was serious. _Amai? Now? _Kakashi wondered, pushing the Alliance headband off of his right eye. He needed to take this seriously. If Amai was directly ordering Shikaru around, he hypothesized, then he would definitely get worse treatment than Shizuka. "One of them just divided off."

"How many are there?" asked Shikaku.

"Four in total," said Shisui, "Four, including Obi—_Shikaru_, Amai, and the guy who just divided off. And now it seems we only have to deal with three." Shisui bit the inside of his lip. "Someone needs to go to Genma. The person who divided off is headed directly in his direction." Shikaku nodded and made a step forwards before Shisui stopped him, grabbing onto his vest. "Not you, or, at least, not the _entire _you. Make a shadow clone and send him." He patted his brother-in-law's shoulder. "We need you here, Shikaku."

Shikaku nodded, quickly creating a shadow clone and sending it off, watching his exact copy make its way towards Genma. He looked back at Kakashi, who appeared to be completely serious. "Kakashi, take on Shikaru," said Shikaku. Kakashi blinked and stared at the Nara head as if he had three head. "If anybody has the best chance of fighting Shikaru full-on right now, its you, with your Sharingan. You can best identify the attacks he is making and return them."

"I'll just be tiring him out," said Kakashi with a sigh, "Or I'll just be boring him."

"You'll intrigue him. He doesn't fight many Sharingan users," said Shikaku, "And you'll intrigue him long enough that Gaara can seal up both Amai and the unknown quantity. We just need to distract him." Shikaku's lip twitched. "Theoretically," he admitted, looking away.

Kakashi's eyes widened. Theoretically? Did he just hear a _theoretically _escape the lips of a _Nara_? All Nara clan members were scarily intelligent and almost freakily exact planners; all of their strategies coming to fruition in the exact way they planned. To hear that Nara Shikaku, the genius of all strategic minds, was thinking _theoretically _did not sound good to Kakashi. No, not at all—especially when his fucking _life _was at risk! "Tell me that you have better than theory," said the usually confident shinobi.

Shikaku gave him a weak, half-hearted and nervous smile. "Sorry, kid, but I'm already giving you more than I've got."

Kakashi sighed. "Great," he complained, closing his eyes and going into his back pocket, stroking the spine of the Icha Icha novel he hadn't gotten around to reading yet. "Just great."

* * *

Hayate had noticed, when Shizuka was a very young child, that he had an extremely strong presence that tended to scare people he came across, especially since Shizuka was a meek and quiet boy. It was for that reason that Shizuka was often hurt by those people, people whose natures were to automatically fear the unknown. Hayate had no idea how to relate to his brother, as he'd never had to grow up in the world of civilians. All he could hope for was that his life would get better quickly, and that he would find someone who could understand him better than he could.

Hayate noticed Shizuka's weak chakra levels, and immediately felt surprise and concern. Surprise due to the fact that Shizuka was out in this time of war, and concern because Shizuka had always been interested in the medical field, and always made it a point of his to keep healthy and alright when possible. Shizuka never let his levels go so low before.

"I need to go," said Hayate to Hizashi, who blinked and looked over at Hayate with a moderate amount of surprise in his features. So far, Hayate had been pretty adherent and quiet, reserved. He'd done what he was told without much question, though some hesitation was present, as would be expected from a devoted Konoha shinobi such as him. Hizashi nodded, fully allowing him mobility. Hayate nodded back, allowing himself to divide off from the group, tracking Shizuka's chakra.

Finding him had been simple enough, far simpler than he'd thought it possible to be. Hayate stood for a few moments, awestruck by how… _big _he'd gotten in the three and a half years he hadn't seen him. He really hadn't realized how much of a difference nearly four years would make on a person, but it was definitely a lot.

"Hayate?"

Hayate's eyes switched from his little brother over to Genma, who crouched besides Shizuka. _How could I not notice him? _Hayate wondered, looking Genma up and down. "Some things do stay the same," he said out loud without realizing it, smiling. "You haven't changed at all, Genm… not one bit. You look exactly the same." Hayate took a step forwards, and Genma visibly braced himself. Hayate stopped, confused. "What are you…?"

"Don't touch him," said Genma, reaching into his weapon pouch.

"You… you think I would hurt him?" asked Hayate, confused. His orders had been to attack anyone visibly wearing a shinobi headband. As so far, the only person he could see with that specification was Genma himself, and Genma was the least of his concern. Right now, his brother was calling his immediate attentions. Hayate grabbed at his sword, trying to take it out and throw it to the side, but all he did was make Genma stiffen more.

And then he found himself unable to move.

"Don't even try to get out of it, Gekkō Hayate," came the voice of Nara Shikaku, who stood approximately twenty feet behind Genma and Shizuka. "Genma, get Shizuka and move closer to me."

"I could've handled it," said Genma irritably, picking up Shizuka as gently as he could. Hayate gaped at them, slightly confused about the happenings around him. _What… what do they think I was going to do… kill him? Well, now that I really think about it, reaching for my sword isn't really the first thing that people would think of as a call for peace… _

"Could've, but wouldn't," said Shikaku. "Move, now."

"Stop!" yelled out Hayate, wanting to hold up his hands but knowing he was unable to. "I am not going to hurt anyone! I swear it! This is completely ungrounded, please believe me even slightly! I would never bring harm to Shizuka, or to anybody trying to protect him!"

Shikaku leaned forwards, forcing Hayate to do the exact same thing. "And how are we supposed to believe you, Hayate? You're under an Edo Tensei. You could be told to do a number of things, including lying and harming your own kin." Shikaku reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a sealing scroll. Hayate's eyes widened. "I think it would be best to nip any problem we might have with you in the bud… I apologize, Hayate, but I don't know if I can trust you—"

"Stop it!" All three of them flinched upon hearing Shizuka's voice, surprised that he was even moderately conscious. Shizuka weakly pushed himself off of Genma's back, landing hard on his right side. He cried out in pain, visibly forcing himself not to cry. Shikaku lurched towards him, causing Hayate to do the exact same exact thing. Genma helped the boy to his feet, trying his best not to cause any more pain for him. "D-Don't seal him," said Shizuka, holding his painful right arm.

"Shizuka… he could…" began Genma.

"I'm aware of what he could do, but I doubt he would," said Shizuka, smiling weakly at Hayate. "The Hayate I know has a little bit better self-control than to attack comrades." Hayate swallowed dryly and nodded at his little brother. He looked stronger than how he'd left him. He looked a hell of a lot less alone than he had before. "Please… please release him your shadow technique, Nara-sama," whispered Shizuka, "Because I'm almost completely sure that he was going to throw his sword away, not attack us."

To his relief, Shikaku dropped the jutsu, allowing Hayate his full mobility back. He once again returned to his previous movements, removing his sword from it's sheathe, holding it in his hands. He smiled upon remembering all the times he'd caught a very young Shizuka attempting to grab at his sword, always reprimanding him with a light smile on his lips. He held it out for Shizuka to take; noting the wide-eyed gaze his brother took on. "Don't give me those eyes," said Hayate with a light laugh, "Take the damn thing."

Shizuka nodded, letting go of his right arm and grabbing the blade with his left. "It's heavier than I remember," said Shizuka in a quiet voice.

"Maybe you just need to readjust to holding it," said Hayate softly, watching intently the wonder-filled gaze with which Shizuka held the blade. He had reacted much the same way when his father had handed him the blade for the first time. Shizuka's lips tilted upwards into a tight, wobbly smile that took Hayate off guard. "What…"

"Yūgao found this blade on you when you were killed," said Genma softly, "And she refused to give the blade to Shizuka. She didn't want to see it at all. She threw it into Evidence at the ANBU headquarters and forced herself to forget about it. Shizuka spent a good amount of time fighting to get the katana back." Hayate's eyes widened. That did not sound like the Yūgao he knew. She wasn't that selfish!

"And then it disappeared," said Hayate in a knowing voice.

Genma nodded. "And then it disappeared," he agreed.

"Why… why did you do it?" asked Shizuka in an almost unheard voice, surprising the three people there. "You left… you rubbed my head and told me you'd be back before I knew it. You told me not to worry. And then… then Yūgao found your body. The crows had at you, and they still had me identify the remains as the next of kin." Shizuka tightened his grip on the blade. "Why did you leave me, Hayate? On a mission like that? Why risk it?"

"I think you know why," said Hayate, unable to take his eyes off of his little brother. "I had suspicions about the Sand's intentions, and I went to confirm my suspicions. I only did it in order to protect the village, Shizuka. That was it. I just wanted to protect you. I wanted to keep you, and the village, safe and sound."

"Is it really something worthy of giving your life for?!" screamed Shizuka, reaching his boiling point. He looked up at his brother, unable to hold in his tears. "Is protecting me something so worthy of dying for?! Is leaving me something worthy of getting killed for?!" He swallowed. "What does that even mean, Hayate?! Is that the cost of protection?! Is that what it means?! Hayate, tell me!" Hayate watched his brother, becoming more and more aware by the second of a fraction of what he'd left in his wake. "Is it strength?! Because I've tried, brother, and it doesn't work! I can't even protect my own friend from himself! Tell me what it is!"

"I didn't intend to die, Shizuka, but I'm glad that my death was not in vain," whispered Hayate, "Because you're alive now, and I get to speak to you." He put his hand onto his little brother's shoulder. "You look too deeply into term of protection. Yes, protection needs strength, but not physical strength." He smiled. "No. Protection needs something that will always beat physical strength, even in a world like ours. _Love._" Hayate rubbed his brother's sweaty hair. "If you don't love what you want to protect, then you'll never succeed."

Shizuka still sobbed. "But… you didn't… you fought to preserve the family… the village… the village crumbled… the Third fell… they didn't stay by me…"

"I didn't fight for the village as it exactly was. I'm aware that all good things must end sometimes," said Hayate, "What I fought for was the ideologies of our village. What I fought for was the Will of Fire." He rubbed Shizuka's cheeks. "You didn't lose any family, Shizuka. It merely changed form, taking into consideration that you have friends, apparently. Though they might not be there physically, and it is really a shame" Hayate gave Genma a pointed look, causing the older shinobi to squirm, "they're always going to be with you. _I'm _going to be with you, just like Otousan and Okaasan are for us. Just continue on, Shizuka. Fight. Don't stop fighting. Keep fighting for everything and everyone you love."

"Do you promise?" whispered Shizuka.

"Do I promise what?" asked Hayate, confused.

"Do you promise that you'll be there, Hayate-niisan?" asked Shizuka. Hayate nodded, and Shizuka's smile was the brightest thing Hayate ever thought he could possibly see from his brother. That was a smile of pure happiness. Hayate finally felt a moment of completeness. He finally felt the breeze on his skin, and could smell the leaves in the wind. Hayate smiled widely.

"I'm leaving," said Hayate simply, eyes wide in surprise.

"Wha… no!" cried Shizuka. "No, no, niisan, I just got you back! Don't… no! Don't leave so quickly after promising me you'll be there for me!"

"What did I just say?" asked Hayate with a small smile on his lips, feeling weightless. "No matter what, I'm going to be there for you, Shizuka." He hugged his brother, knowing he didn't have much longer left. "Thank you, Shizuka. Thank you so much." He kissed the top of his brother's sweaty head, slightly disgusted by the dirty, greasy taste but not noting on his brother's lack of hygiene. He pulled the sheathe for the blade off of his back, dropping it on the floor beside his brother. He looked at Genma. "Don't leave him alone, Genm. Don't ever leave him. You're his family when I'm not there, or did you forget that?"

"I won't, and I didn't," promised Genma, nodding at his late friend. And he wouldn't. He may have left, but it wouldn't be the same anymore. He was going to be there for him for as long as he would live. He missed nearly four years, and he refused to lose anymore. Hayate nodded at him, knowing that he had no more time left. He let go of his little brother, looking up at the warm sun.

And, in nothing more than a bright light, Gekkō Hayate was gone.

Shizuka rubbed his cheeks, still sniffling. "Ha… Hayate…" he whispered, looking down at the katana that he continued to hold in his hand. He crouched down, placing the blade down next to the sheathe. He struggled putting the two parts back together, as he only had one hand to use. A much larger hand grabbed the sword, steadying it. Shizuka looked up to see Genma crouching beside him, eyes on him. "What're you…"

"I broke my promise to Hayate-sama. I swore to him that I'd be there for you when he couldn't be, and because I couldn't look at you without seeing him, I pussied out," said Genma, not sparing him the language. "I refuse to do that you anymore. It's unfair to you, Zuka-otouto." He put his hand on top of Shizuka's head. "Can't make up for it, but I can sure as hell move past it."

* * *

The plan had worked up until they'd tried to seal up Amai.

They hadn't had to worry about the fourth person; he'd deviated off and left Amai and Shikaru, saying he'd be useless. Shikaku had took this as a sign of luck and immediately set his plan into motion. Kakashi could hold his own against Shikaru, doing much better than Shikaku had really expected. While Kakashi did that, Shikaku and Gaara engaged Amai while Shisui sat on top of the entrance to the stronghold, knowing he would do more help off to the side than actually involving himself. Shikaku managed to capture Amai into his shadow sealing technique, and Gaara had begun to seal Amai when she did it.

She screamed for help.

Shikaru, or Obito, stopped in his tracks, his kunai an inch away from Kakashi's face, pupil dilated. He turned, looking over his shoulder at Shikaku and Gaara, fury evident in his features. He dropped the kunai, ignoring Kakashi's existence completely now. When the kunai finally hit the floor, Obito was right besides Gaara, moving too fast for the sand to come up and defend him. With a grim smile, Obito brought his foot back, kicking Gaara hard enough in his side to send him flying.

"You bitch," he growled at Amai, "Can't you keep yourself outta harm's way? Why do I gotta save you all the time?" He lunged at Shikaku, kicking him—hard—in the side of the head, causing him to fly into Kakashi. "Are you okay? Are you injured at all?"

"No," said Amai, not shaken up in the least bit. She smiled wide, looking at the three shinobi below. She pointed at them. "Kill them!" she said gleefully. "Kill all of them for threatening my life!"

He glared at you. "Technically speakin', they didn't threaten you," he said, shaking his head. "They can't threaten your life if you ain't alive anymore. The kid saw to that himself." He smirked despite the situation. "Man; that kid had the biggest balls I've ever seen on him. I didn't ever think he would grow the balls to kill you. I mean, he kinda went the bitch route and strangled you in your sleep, but… fuckin' a, man, that's all I gotta say, _fuckin' a._" Amai glared at him, annoyed by his speech, while Kakashi and Shikaku stared at him, surprised he would even speak like that.

"He killed you?" asked Shisui in a low voice.

Obito's eyebrow twitched. "Eh? What'cha say?" he asked, confused, looking at Shisui. "Speak up, man, before I do what she says and kill you… well, I'm gonna do it anyways, it's kinda just a matter of when."

Shisui turned his head completely towards Obito, knowing exactly where he was despite his blindness, a fact that still slightly confused Kakashi and Shikaku alike. "Amai-hime," he said in a soft voice that caused Amai to go completely still, "Our boy killed you? Our Obito killed you?"

Obito stared at him, confused. "I didn't… Shikaru did." He looked over at Amai. "Hey, Creator, who is this dude to you?"

"Sui-koi?" asked Amai, her features contorting with absolute pain, more pain than one person, even someone as rotted to the core as herself, deserved to feel at one time. Obito felt something akin to pity for the woman, for the first time. "S-Shisui…? Why are you… are you aligned with these people?" Her octave rose. "Are you aligned with the man who stole your brother's eye? Are you aligned with the man who stole your son from me? Are you… are you aligned with the village?" Amai's face contorted with disgust, and Obito's eyes widened, his eyes returning to their original dark color. He thought she had looked ugly before, with all the hatred she had in her heart, but he didn't realize how much hatred was there. It completely took her over—how else could he explain how hateful she was beginning to act to Shisui, who he knew to be the love of her life, the reason for his existence?

"Don't do this, Amai-hime, you're doing it for all the wrong reasons," said Shisui softly.

"Shut up," growled Amai, "Stop pretending to be my Shisui. My Shisui would be on my side. _On my side!_" She pointed at him. "Kill all of them, now! Make sure that _imposter_ suffers before he dies! I want his blood to stain every part of this compound, so much so that when the rain runs and tries to wash it away, the blood boils the rain water away!" She turned to Obito, who was clearly hesitant now, faced with the man. "I said do it!" she snapped, making the tiger seal. Obito grabbed his head, screaming in pain.

"Bitch," he gasped out, reactivating his Rinnegan and Sharingan against his will. "Stop controlling me!" he barked, striking out at her, slapping her as hard as he could. "Y-You don't control me!" He looked over at the three shinobi, finding himself driven crazy with bloodlust. He couldn't control himself now, even if he wanted to. He was going to kill, and he was going to make sure to spill their blood. He crouched down, hands on the edge of the cement wall, beginning to push against it.

With a low growl, Obito used all his power to push off against it, launching himself full-speed at the shinobi.

* * *

When Shikaku's clone disappeared, Shizuka automatically knew something was wrong. Shizuka stood up, hand wrapped around the katana that was once held by his older brother. Genma blinked, looking up at the boy. "What are you doing?"

"Nara-san's gone," noted Shizuka quietly. "He was a shadow clone, and he just disappeared." He looked down at Genma, who was still in a crouch. "I… I'm just worried. I wanna go find them. Where are they?"

"You're still hurt," said Genma slowly, getting up. "I think it's probably best if you stayed here…"

"It's best, yeah, and it is logical," said Shizuka, "But if they're also my comrades. All that's logical was automatically thrown out of the window. The safety of my comrades comes well before the successes of the mission at hand, Genma." He rubbed his upper arm with his wrist, ignoring the pain that ran through it. "From what I know about Nara-san, he's a careful planner who knows how to beat an enemy from the first moment he meets them. He doesn't even give defeat an option, and surely he doesn't let his chakra levels drop so low. For the jutsu to release meant something went wrong, and with Kazekage-sama and Uchiha-san there, with their chakra levels, that shouldn't be possible."

Genma sighed, seeing the boy's point and knowing he couldn't argue with him. "Fine," he said, "But if there's any danger, I'm getting you outta there. You understand me?" Shizuka nodded, and Genma groaned, putting his hand on his head. "Kid. You're gonna be the death of me."

* * *

Obito pressed his foot against Shisui's breast plate, not sure if he wanted to push down and crush Shisui's heart in his chest, or to leave him alone and let him succumb to injuries. To let him succumb to injuries meant to show mercy, but… the kid wouldn't like it much if he actually went ahead and killed Shisui. Amai's feelings about it was irrelevant when faced with the fact that she wanted Obito to kill Shikaru's long-lost father, a person whose blood that Obito had no doubts would scare the living shit out of Shikaru should it be on his hands. He ran his hand through his hair, nervous.

He was jumpy because technically speaking, while he spilt blood, he hadn't actually killed any of them. Not even Shikaku, who he hated like the plague. He didn't want to kill them for fear that the kid might not take it lightly. This was a new thing for him, to be filled with gut-wrenching guilt. He put it down to the fact that the kid was clawing his way back to consciousness, and everything the kid usually felt was coming to the forefront in him.

He removed his foot from Shisui's chest, stepping back. He growled under his breath, knowing he wasn't going to kill this man, ever. He noticed Amai's look of contempt to see him so obviously breaking her rules, but he didn't quite care. He wasn't here for her misguided mission of revenge; he was simply here to kill people, not these people. The people he saw before, with the Byakugan. And kill he would, looking around the compound for the source of all those people.

_There! _Obito's grin grew wide, seeing the multitude of people right under his feet. Chakra levels high and low, people big and small. With the Byakugan, he could see every one down there, and he felt his bloodlust coming to the top. Fuck the kid coming up. He would get in all the bloodshed he could before the kid had a chance to say _anything _against it. Yes, he would have his fingers coated thoroughly with blood before he had to go into the darkness again.

Obito stepped over Kakashi's unconscious body, grinning ear-to-ear in excitement; like a kid on Christmas morning. He grabbed onto a stone sitting upon the entry way to those people, giddiness rising in his throat by the minute. _Hello, prey! _Obito thought, ripping the stone out of the way as if it were nothing more than a feather.

And he found himself narrowly able to avoid an oncoming attack.

_What the fuck? _Obito wondered as he staggered back, surprised that he had been caught off guard in the least bit. A hand had brushed against his shoulder, but nothing too bad… _So why does my arm suddenly feel so heavy? _Obito wondered. He pulled down his collar over his shoulder, watching as small dots of bruises blossomed on his skin, each one perfectly circular. _Hyūga_, he suddenly realized with gritted teeth, _Hyūga_.

Hanabi pulled herself up and out of the doorway, Byakugan activated and shuriken drawn, on the defensive. "Shit. I didn't get very much," she said, trying to catch her breath but finding it nearly impossible with the amount of pure adrenaline pumping through her veins. She crouched down, putting her fingertips on the ruined tile. "Not even enough to get you to stop. Just a light brush." She gritted her teeth. "Maybe I won't miss this time."

"Little Hyūga," said Obito, "Don't get too cocky." He braced himself, taking her seriously. She was child's play, but if he didn't take this seriously, he might actually kill her. _That_ would piss the kid off for sure, for her to die. "So, how many people are down there, huh? Besides you, obviously."

"No one," said Hanabi with a shake of her head and a light shrug. "Just a bunch of shadow clones, to be completely honest. No one at all."

Obito chuckled. He could believe that, but not completely. "No, no, Hanabi-san, you're a bad liar," he said, shaking his head, "Because if that were true, why are you still playin' guard dog to an empty stronghold?" He gestured towards her. "Take a step towards me. I ain't gonna kill you; you mean too much to Shikaru for me to even think about doin' that. But I just wanna see, if I look in, if I'll see any scared civilians in there." He reactivated his Byakugan, and his smile widened. "_Like the one I see right now!_"

"Son of a bitch," said Hanabi, throwing the shuriken with deadly accuracy at Obito, causing him to focus his attentions on the ninja stars instead of her. She moved quickly, with a typical Hyūga speed, not wasting any time in lightly tapping several points on Obito's arm, closing up his chakra lines. She avoided being attacked or even really noticed by Obito, getting away as fast as she could.

And then it hit, hard. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her heart was beating way too fast for anything to be alright. She coughed up blood onto the floor, collapsing with hacking coughs that completely hurt all of her insides. _What's wrong with me? _Hanabi screamed mentally, trying to get breath into her.

Obito stared at her, confused. She was… what was this even? He hadn't even _touched_ her! She'd been winning, after all; with attacks like hers it would be weird if she wasn't. But now here she was, gasping for breath, hacking up such crimson blood. He stayed put, unsure if this were some sick joke or if she really was dying right there. Curious, he activated his temporary Byakugan, looking at her organs. What he saw surprised him deeply, but he knew that it would absolutely horrify the kid, so he kept it to himself, biting his lip and deactivating the Byakugan.

His attentions were diverted by the sounds of a girl crying. Turning around, he saw a girl with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, sobbing and staring at Hanabi with a hand over her mouth. Obito's smirk was grim, his excitement to kill slightly dampered by the information he just found it, but still persistent enough for him to want to still sate his appetite.

"Get… back under cover… Miyu!" called out Hanabi, trying to force herself to her feet as the sounds of chirping birds filled the air. Miyu flinched, realizing what Hanabi was trying to tell her. "Dammit, Miyu… run!" barked Hanabi, getting to her feet only to keel fall back down, violently vomiting blood and puke. Obito pushed off the ground, moving too quickly for Miyu to detect without a Sharingan. "Miyu!" screamed Hanabi, forcing herself to her feet despite the pain, starting over to the girl.

Blood spilled across the floor at Obito's feet, and his hand passed through something deliciously warm and soft, sending a wave of pleasure through his muscles. _Finally…_ he thought as the Chidori died down, his blood-covered hand meeting cold air on the other side of his victim's body, _finally killed someone I was aiming for. _

And then he opened his eyes to see the girl, still breathing the same, untouched, blood on her face; brown eyes wide with fear. He was confused. Who was this? This warm body? This person he just slaughtered? A hand went to his shoulder, and a weak chuckle reverberated around his arm. "I… did it…" Obito's eyes went wide with shock, recognizing the voice.

"Aah…" said Obito, panicking and pulling out his hand. "AAH!" _The kid's going to be pissed, oh no, he's going to be mad at me. No, no, no, no. What did I just do? I blinked for a second, and what did I just do? _He stumbled back, trying to get distance between himself and the person he'd just unintentionally harmed. "_AAAAAAH!_"

Shizuka looked down at himself, watching fresh blood drip from the gaping hole through which Obito had ripped his body. His knees began to shake, and he felt too light headed to continue standing up. "S-Shit," he murmured, falling again on his right side, too far gone to feel anything. _The human brain is the best natural painkiller in all of existence, _he thought with a grim smirk on his face. _I feel absolutely nothing, and I've got a giant gaping fucking hole in the middle of my body!_ He wanted to chuckle, but he knew, even with the deliriousness, that it would come off as odd.

_Yeah, definitely odd. Not like jumping in between your friend and someone you don't even fucking KNOW to stop your friend from harming anymore. Not at all. Because that is normal_, he thought, running through all the ideas in his mind, his ears hardly picking up any of the sounds coming from Shikaru.

"Shizuka, no!" screamed out Hanabi, finding it too painful to make her way over to her friend, blood dripping down her chin. "NOOO!"

Genma landed by Shizuka's head, grabbing the boy and pulling him up. Shizuka smiled in a tired way that terrified Genma, putting his bloodied fingertips on Genma's jacket. "I think I fucked up," whispered Shizuka, unable to hold back his hysterical laughing any longer. "I really fucked up, Genm, this time. REALLY fucked up."

"You're an idiot," whispered Genma, tightening his hold on Shizuka's sleeve. "You're such a goddamned idiot. You should know by now that you're not allowed to fucking _die _at eleven, you asshat!" He turned his attentions to the shaking girl behind him; the one Shizuka just gave his life to save. "You, there!" he barked at her, scaring her slightly, "Do you know any medical ninjutsu?" She nodded, limply. "Get your bony little ass over here, _now, and SAVE MY LITTLE FUCKING BROTHER!_" Genma screeched at her, finally losing his cool.

She nodded, now completely terrified, scurrying over to him and leaning over him. "Ah… sorry," she whispered to Shizuka, "And thank you."

"You have nice eyes," said Shizuka dazedly, surprising Miyu slightly, "Really nice eyes. Pretty eyes. Like really, really, really dark melted chocolate. The expensive ones. It matches your hair. I like your hair, too."

"He's lost a lot of blood," whispered Miyu, mostly to herself in order to get rid of the blush growing on her cheeks from getting compliments from the cute boy she had been admiring earlier, when he had brought Hanabi to the stronghold. She hovered her hands over his wounds, green light enveloping her hands as she began to heal him. "He needs surgery," she whispered, "His organs have been damaged from the force of the blow. All I can do is stop the bleeding right now, but he needs almost a complete organ transplant."

"You can tell?" asked Genma.

"I don't need a medical exam to tell," she whispered, "See how his breathing is more labored than before? That's because the electrical current from that attack shocked his nervous system and overloaded it. We're honestly lucky he's not brain-dead right now." She realized she was talking in a detached way, but that was the only way she could deal with the situation at hand. "He needs a hospital."

"We don't have a hospital to take him to," growled Genma, "Do something!"

"I'm not magic!" barked Miyu, irritated now, "I want to, but I can't. I can't give him back his nervous system. It is wrecked beyond any repair, or at least repair I can give by myself. I need to shock his system with electrical current to get his lung restarted so I can even _think _about surgical procedures. Like I said, he needs almost a complete organ transplant, and unless you happen to have a spare _everything_, just shut up!" She wiped her cheeks angrily. "I'll give him as long as I can, but without any type of hospital, I can't save him! I'm sorry!"

A scream rippled through the air again, and Genma turned his attentions away from the frustrated girl to the source of the scream. Shikaru held his head in between his blood-covered hands, eyes wild with fear. "It… it was supposed to be a dream!" he sobbed out, tears dripping down his face. "It's all fucking _real!_"

Shizuka looked weakly at his friend. "Shikaru," he whispered, happy his friend was finally free.

"Don't talk to me like that!" snapped Shikaru, "Don't talk to me like I'm not some sort of monster!" He fell to his knees. "I didn't forget this time. I always forget! Why couldn't I forget this time?!" He hit his forehead with the heel of his palm, leaving a print of Shizuka's blood in the middle of his forehead. "I remember every one! I remember it all! I can't forget any of it! I see everything!" He screamed now, making the fallen shinobi begin to stir. "It's all here! I can see everything!" He looked down at his hands, stained red. "They're all here! I see them! I hear them!"

Hanabi once again forced herself to her feet, finding the pain not so bad anymore. She stumbled over to Shikaru, reaching out for him. He noticed her approach and reacted terribly, slapping her hand away roughly. "Don't! I won't! Don't get close to me! I can't harm you, too! I love you too much to put you in danger!" Hanabi reached forwards again, causing Shikaru's panic to worsen as he turned, running off in the opposite direction, hands clamped over his ears as he ran away as fast as he could, trying to get away from the people he loved in order to save them from his own 'wicked' nature.

Amai stared at the receding back of her son, angry that she was losing her puppet again. She glared at the girl. Hanabi. The girl he just said he loved. She pulled out a kunai, lunging from her place. _She stole my baby! _Amai thought angrily, aiming to kill her. Hanabi was too distracted to notice her. _Yes! _Amai thought before a wall of sand came up in between her and the girl, surprising Amai. _What… no! _Amai scrambled back, realizing what this meant.

Too late. The sand crashed over her head, enveloping her in it rough embrace, forcing her to conform with it, to accept it. She couldn't stop it. She was going to be sealed. Sealed away, forever, and forever unable to fulfill her dream of crushing the Leaf. _Obito! _Amai thought before her world went black and empty.

* * *

Gaara put his hand on the cocoon, extremely angry with himself for not getting there beforehand, before Shikaru even got a chance to think about harming that girl. He looked at Shikaku, who supplied the Uchiha girl with Nara-specialty salves for the wounds on Shizuka, just trying to take away some of the pain. Kakashi crouched, looking over the village instead of at his sobbing friend. "Shisui-san, Kakashi-sama," said Gaara in a gruff voice, capturing both shinobi's attentions. "Go after him." His orders were simple to understand, and neither shinobi had it left in themselves to argue with him.

He put his finger to his earpiece. "Kankurō-niisan," he whispered, feeling like a child again. "Kankurō-niisan, please respond."

* * *

"Kankurō-niisan, please respond."

Kankurō immediately dropped Kiba, ignorant to the groan of pain coming from his friend, putting his finger to his own earpiece. "Gaara-otouto? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Gaara sighed with relief. "You're there."

"Of course I am. What's up? What did you need from me?" he asked, picking Kiba up once more and pulling him over to Akamaru, who was in way better condition than his master. "Why do you sound so heartsick, brother? Are you…"

"I don't deserve to be a Kage."

Kankurō stopped in his tracks. _What? _"What?"

"Shikaru took out more shinobi here than I would care to count. I couldn't protect a single one of them. That's what a Kage is supposed to do. It is my job to protect those who believe in me enough to work for me, which, in this time of war, is every shinobi in every village." He sighed. "Shikaru ran off. I don't know where he's going, or what he's going to do, but he jetted right after he tried to kill his teammate. I'm sending his father and Kakashi after him."

Kankurō rubbed the back of his head. "Why do I feel like I kind of just jumped in the middle of the story?" he muttered to himself. "Look, Gaar, you're not a bad Kage. You deserve it more than anyone I can think of." He looked down at Kiba and swallowed. "I had a panic attack," he admitted.

Gaara paused. "You _what_?"

"Yeah, panic attack, and then Kiba took charge. From what I could get outta him when he was still conscious, the rest of my group is inside getting Naruto and Sasuke. As soon as I ascertain Kiba's fine, I'm going in alone for Hinata." He swallowed again and closed his eyes. "Gaar… Otousan's guarding Hinata."

**Just in case you missed the first one: NO ONE IS DYING. Don't worry about Shizuka. He's not dying. **


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Of Katanas

**You know, when I login to my email, I don't expect much from it. Maybe from some colleges (I am still in high school), some spam, some stores (also love shopping), if I'm lucky something about a follower or even a review. But what I definitely want to see is if my story is added to a community! I kind of had a mini-heart attack when I logged on and saw it had been added. I didn't know, and I didn't even know HOW to get added to a community! I'm almost afraid somebody hacked my account now. Not that I don't appreciate it, that I'm not glad; but seriously! I just wanted to know a wee bit in advance first. That being said, I thank whoever decided to add this fic to this community (because, again, I don't know how to do it). **

**Also, I've uploaded a side fic for this, called ****Have Faith in Me****. It's a one-shot, and it's not romantic. It's just about Kakashi and Hinata, a little look into their ****_friendly _****relationship. I hope you read it, because that thing gave me inspiration for this chappie! **

**Look, I apologize if I've pissed you off by injuring Shizuka. To be honest, I was pissed at myself for hurting him. But I'm fixing it. He'll be just fine. I just needed to add a little more depth to his character was all, because I thought he was very basic and flat without any mystery or complication. So I added complication. And I like the complication. I hope you do, too! And if you were wondering "what's wrong with Hanabi?" at the end of the last chappie, I apologize for not fully addressing it now. The time was just not right. But it will be, sometime. **

**To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: haha, so you hate Senju Obito, too? I'm glad. I dislike him, though I did try to make him a little bit good. Hehe, their reunion... 'bout that... it won't be all rainbows and giggles... I've had that reunion planned for a while now, and I intend to follow through with this plan... I find it slightly humorous, to be honest...**

**Disclaimer: don't own Naruto. **

**Enjoy! **

Gaara's reply was instantaneous. "Don't you move until I get there," he said, turning on his heel and walking off of the edge of the complex, a cloud of sand instantly under his feet.

"Just what the hell are you talking about, Gaar? You're hours away!" sputtered Kankurō over the earpiece, audibly shocked and confused by his brother's statement. "I'll be fine. I'll take him on by myself."

"I refuse to have you in the same room alone with that sadist!" Gaara growled at his brother. "He lived to hurt you, and leaving you there alone will not make me any better than him! It's as if I just handed him back the whip!" Gaara tried to calm down, but he knew it was impossible. He was too worried about him, about his brother. He gulped, adopting their nicknames for a moment. "Temi would agree, Kanky."

"Don't tell her!" complained Kankurō.

"No, Kankurō, you do not understand me! We are your siblings! If we're not the first ones to be there for you, then who well will be, huh?!" Gaara asked him, his voice heightening to an octave he wasn't even aware he possessed. "Who's to tell how you'll react to seeing him, Kankurō? What if you pass out? Who's to stop him from hurting you again? Do you really want Hinata to see you be harmed by your sadist bastard excuse of a fucking father?!"

"Gaara…" Kankurō's voice was low. "I'm not asking you not to come because I don't think I need you. I'm asking you not to come because this is something I need to do by myself." Gaara blinked, confused. _Revenge? _That was it? That was why Kankurō was being so stubborn, so obstinate? He wanted to get revenge on his father for the things he'd done to him. It made sense to Gaara, and he knew he was justified in wanting revenge, but Gaara knew of his father's abilities, better than Kankurō did, really; and Kankurō knew it. So why was he still being so stupid. "Gaara, I don't expect you to understand it, or to really respect it. But, for now, as my brother, as my Kazekage; I'm asking you to accept it and trust me." With that, static rung out in Gaara's ear, making him wince in pain before he pulled out the earpiece, throwing it to the side. Kankurō pulled himself off of the system, leaving him in a grey area. _Bad. Bad. So, so very bad. _If Kankurō wasn't in comms, that left his entire team out by themselves. They would literally have no way of connecting with them now.

"Shit!" yelled Gaara, crouching low on his cloud of sand. Why the hell was their life so fucked? What had they done to really deserve this enormous _shit _that they had to call a life? Really, everything about his life, right now, sucked complete ass right now!

He couldn't even make sure his brother was okay now!

"FUCK!"

He needed to get to Temari. He needed to get to Temari, and he needed to do it very quickly. It was a matter of importance. He needed to find Kankurō, and there was no way he could do it without Temari's help. Knowing his overbearing older sister, probability stated that she more than likely had a track of some sort on her precious Shikamaru. If that was true, logistically speaking, they would be able to find Kankurō due to the fact that Shikamaru was supposed to be with him.

Using the Body Flicker technique, Gaara disappeared in Konohagakure, coming to his marked point of entry to Sunagakure—his office. His sanctuary.

Currently, though, it was where Aburame Shino was plotting out battle strategies for his subordinates, sitting on Gaara's desk. Anyone else besides Shino would've had a heart attack or fainted due to the shock of the Kazekage suddenly appearing with fury wrenching his features; like the people Shino was speaking to did. Shino merely sighed, slightly ticked off that Gaara had interrupted him like that. Shino crossed his arms over his chest, looking over at the Kazekage as if he were nothing more than a weed in an otherwise perfect garden. "Kazekage-sama, I thought you were still stationed in Konoha. That was, after all, your agreement to Tsunade-chama when she took up her role as commander over the medical unit."

"I have other concerns at the moment," said Gaara, grinding his jaw. He flicked a glance at the still terrified and surprised shinobi. "What are you doing in my office? All of you leave at once."

"I am not finished," said Shino irritably.

"And I am not caring," said Gaara with equal irritation, turning his back on the shinobi in order to leave his study. "Where is Temari? I need to speak with her at once."

"Temari is… inconvenienced at the moment," said Shino, stopping Gaara in his tracks with the hesitation Shino had present in his voice. Gaara turned to him, confused. Shino looked queasy and uncertain, something Gaara had never seen on the usually confident; or otherwise emotionless, bug-using shinobi of the Leaf. Automatically, Gaara was worried about his sister.

"Where is Temari?" asked Gaara again, his hairless brow bunching.

Shino sighed and looked out the window, staring up at the bright sun. It was hot, too hot in Suna. His bugs hated this heat. They weren't the right type of beetle for this area. The heat made his bugs move with unease and distaste, and it was mirrored in Shino, who just couldn't sit down and settle anywhere for more than five minutes without his bugs screaming out in discomfort. It was hard to mask his emotions while he was so uncomforted by Sunagakure's too-hot embrace. It was too hard to keep information to himself under Gaara's stare in this heat. Who knew that nothing more than a little too much heat would be the perfect way to interrogate Aburame Shino?

"Temari is on her way to the Land of Rain for medical observance," admitted Shino with a sigh, pushing his dark green hood off of his head and rubbing his sweaty hair, dislodging a few cooling bugs from their places.

Gaara gaped at him. "What did she _do_? What injured her? I'll kill them."

"She's not injured," said Shino, lifting his goggles off of his face for a moment in order to wipe the condensation off of their lenses in order to see. Gaara blinked; surprised to see that Shino's eye color was nothing more than uninteresting and dull black. With the constant blocks, he had thought it would be something more intriguing and unusual, like almost white with a black pupil. "And as for what she did… well…" He smirked grimly, placing his goggles back on. "Congratulations, Gaara-san. After the war, I guess you're going to be an uncle."

Gaara's jaw dropped. _She was pregnant? What the f… _thought Gaara, unable to stop himself from being shocked. _Nara Shikamaru knocked up my sister! Holy fuck almighty! _Shino chuckled, seemingly amused by Gaara's facial expression. Gaara hardly noticed, mentally doing the math about how far along she must be. What was it… a month? A month and a half, maybe since Shikamaru's last visit to Suna? _She's been pregnant for a month?! _"How did you…"

"My bugs," said Shino, "They like to really knowtheir comrades." Gaara glared at him now, taking it completely the wrong way. Shino chuckled. "I simply mean that they intently observe comrades by testing their levels through contact with their body, Kazekage-sama. Nothing more than that." Shino rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways, why did you need Temari? Is there something wrong in Konoha?"

"No… well yes, but no, that's not why I'm here," said Gaara, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Nara Shikamaru managed to knock up his sister. "I need Temari's help to find Kankurō. He's gone off map; his entire team is in the grey. Kankurō's about to do something _incredibly_ stupid and I want to help him before he goes off and gets himself killed."

Shino crossed his arms. "So you need a track on him is what you're saying," said Shino, his seriousness now rising. "And you assumed, obviously, that because Shikamaru is with Kankurō, that Temari might very well be able to help you due to the fact that she might have a trace on Shikamaru." Gaara nodded. "Well, you're not out of luck. There is a trace on that squad. You just were thinking of going to the wrong person." Shino leaned against Gaara's desk. "I have a tracker on Kiba, Akamaru, _and _Kankurō. Combined with my capabilities and my knowledge of Hinata's markings that she left on the trees, I can help you find them."

"For a price?" asked Gaara suspiciously.

"But of course," said Shino, "And my price is that I get to decide the fate of Haruno Sakura."

Gaara's brow rose. "Why?"

Shino looked off to the side. "Sakura has done things to the people I call my extended family that I cannot excuse. As a friend, as a fellow Leaf; I am disgusted by her actions, especially towards Kiba. It is for that reason that I want to deal with her personally. It is a selfish thing, I realize, but I want it." Shino pushed his hands into his jacket. "That is my only price, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara sighed. "You know… Sakura's acts of treasons have earned her a spot in a Kage-level interrogation and trial," said Gaara slowly, "And she has also earned my personal wrath, as one of the persons she happened to betray is my own brother."

"And I consider Kankurō to be one of my kin as well," said Shino, "Trust me, I will not disappoint with the judgment cast upon her."

Gaara stared at him for a moment. "Officially, Haruno Sakura died," said Gaara slowly. "She was officially dead, and then you, being a gentleman, offered to bring her body back to Konohagakure in order for it to be returned to her family." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I will have a fake body created to stand the place of Sakura. Once that body makes it to her parents, you are free to do whatever you wish with the real Sakura, Shino. Just make sure that nobody ever knows what you've done. And do not tell me what you're going to do, or what you have done after the fact. Consider this an S-rank mission. Do I make myself clear?"

Shino nodded, knowing words were unnecessary at this point. He also knew, fully well, that Gaara had just granted him permission to personally deal with Sakura. The bugs within him rejoiced, for a moment forgetting the obscene heat and the somberness of the situation at hand. _Haruno Sakura was his. _

And, trust when it is said that it was not meant in a romantic sense.

* * *

Chiyo was a woman of many regrets, and she died with most of them unresolved. She wished that she'd been able to save more people than she had, she wished she could've been a better sister, or a better grandmother, or a better kunoichi; she wished she couldn't have caused as much despair as she had. She wondered, often, if it was possible for anyone to die with as much regret as she.

The universe, obviously, was having its final laugh; as it was giving her both a resurrection _and _another regret to have to deal with when she went back to the afterlife.

Chiyo watched as Jūgo easily defeated every guard, though 'defeat' was a very relative term due to the fact that they were no more than resurrected souls. He made his way over to her, his face a cold mask that would've made weaker shinobi want to shit themselves with fear. Chiyo only had a small shiver of distaste. She glared at him, her eyes never leaving his orange ones. "I assume you've come for him," said Chiyo, hands still pressed on the angry, swollen skin of Uchiha Sasuke's abdomen.

Jūgo nodded. "That is correct," he said softly, crouching down in front of Chiyo. "And I would appreciate it greatly if you gave him to me without any sort of fuss." Chiyo's brow rose in surprise of the boy's politeness—not many teenagers that she came across were. Actually, exactly none were as polite as he was.

"I'm supposed to protect him," said Chiyo softly.

Jūgo nodded. "I understand, miss, but I need to take him now. He is my comrade, and besides from that; I owe him more than this. If it were not for him, I would be staying in a prison in Otogakure." Chiyo looked down at the sweaty, pained face of the sleeping Uchiha boy. He reminded her of Gaara sometimes, just from some of his mannerisms and his social retardation. _And now he is just the same as Gaara_, she thought, taking her hands off of Sasuke and nodding her head, looking away from Jūgo.

"Thank you," breathed Jūgo, picking up Sasuke as gently as he could, acting as if he were a porcelain doll rather than a sixteen-year-old boy.

"Don't thank me," whispered Chiyo as he left, her hands pressing against her knees. "Don't thank me if you know what's good for you, boy. I just did exactly what that dreadful man wanted."

One of the people who had been lending Chiyo a helping hand in the sealing process gaped at her upon hearing her words—he understood the full implications of them, and he knew to be fully terrified of them. "You mean… you finished?" he gasped out. Chiyo kept her gaze pointed towards her hands, nodding in affirmative to the man, disgusted with herself for not warning Jūgo appropriately. "You… just gave them a monster!"

"No, she didn't," interrupted the leader of the Akatsuki, surprising everyone in the world with his presence. Uchiha Obito smiled gleefully. "She did exactly what I instructed her to do. It's going according to my plan. Everything is going to my plan." Obito had plotted this down to the _t_, making sure all the variables would do exactly what he wanted. He wanted them to get away with Sasuke. He knew that Hinata would have some sort of affect on Jūgo that would make him want to be a better man. And now, Suigetsu (who he never really liked much, anyways, and was happy to be rid of) was heading with Shikamaru (who would be troublesome, with the type of mind he had) and Neji (who was _definitely _troublesome, with his abilities) to save Naruto, where'd they be caught and effectively taken out of the equation. His way to tie up all ends.

All that was left was the last variable. He brought his wrist up to his mouth, speaking into the tiny transmitter. "Lady Hyūga," he said in a silky voice, "Begin with your part."

* * *

The only warning Hinata had gotten was a sudden spike in chakra, the spike large enough for Hinata to automatically activate her Byakugan, immediately defensive. Her instinct proved true—she was able to dodge the Gentle Fist attack with ease, following it up with one of her own; though she instantly chastised her own stupidity. _Idiot, _she thought, jumping back, _what good is a Gentle Fist going to do on the undead?_ She didn't let her eyes leave her mother's figure, though, knowing that she would strike again.

Hinata's hand drifted to her sheathed katana hanging on her belt. She'd been surprised when Obito let her keep it, even when she was a captive. But she knew rather quickly why she'd been permitted: she didn't stand a chance against these people, quite frankly, with the exception of _maybe _Suigetsu—and she was aiming rather high with that hope. These people were difficult for Kakashi to fight, and Kakashi was one of the strongest shinobi she knew, with the exception of Naruto.

She pulled out 'Hanabi', startling her mother. "Where did you get that?" she asked, pointing at the shimmering blade she hadn't laid eyes on since she quit ANBU and gave it to her teammate.

Hinata had nearly forgotten that the blade had been hers before Kakashi had ever given it to her. It wasn't something that came to her mind a lot, not even when fighting. She tried to keep it out of her mind, because if she didn't, she was afraid she might get sentimental and try to keep the katana from getting snapped in two. _Shit! Now I'm getting possessive over it, _thought Hinata, pacing her breath. "My sensei," Hinata said in a surprisingly even voice, "He gave it to me when I became an ANBU operative." She smiled softly for the first time at her mother, despite herself. "Just like you."

Suki frowned deeply. With her Byakugan active, it appeared she was scowling angrily at Hinata. "You do not want to be like me," she said, trying to maintain an even voice. "You do not want to be _anything _like me!" She lunged at Hinata, only to have her attack automatically deflected by her own katana, now Hinata's katana. "Do you any idea how many people I've killed with that sword you're holding? Do you any idea how I lived before I got married, before I had a little brother to care for? Do you any idea how much I was hated by the clan before I was wedded to your father?" She struck again, her blow much more forceful and nearly taking Hinata off of her guard. "You've _no _idea how horrid a person I am? Do not speak of being like _me_!"

Hinata gritted her teeth. "Do not speak to me as if I don't know about you, Okaasan; I'm not a six-year-old girl who idolized her mother blindly anymore," growled Hinata. Suki's eyes widened. "Kakashi told me what you were. Sad to say it, but the apple does not fall too far from the tree in terms of killing. My hands are stained with blood." She held up the katana. "I hold 'Hanabi' not only because it is a gift from my sensei, but because it is my birthright, to hold your blade in my hand."

Suki closed her eyes, her hands fisting. "Do you believe that?"

"I do," whispered Hinata, "Or else I would not hold this blade."

"Are you so deep in your belief of this that you're willing to strike down your own mother with her own blade?"

"I have no delusions—I will not be able to strike you down. You're beyond my level, and besides, whatever I cut off will just come back into existence in the next moment: it is like trying to fight against water. But, Okaasan… I will show you that I am deserving of such an honor to hold a katana once wielded by a warrior like you. I will fight against the destiny laid out for me until my chakra are depleted, until I cannot stand without digging the tip of the sword into the ground in order to support myself, until I can no longer say 'no' and allow you to use my body to try and destroy the world. That is my only intention, to fight and to fall with honor. So, Okaasan" Hinata went into a normal taijutsu stance, knowing that Hyūga taijutsu would be useless against her mother, "Whenever you are ready, please. Attack."

Suki sighed, opening her eyes to her defiant warrior of a daughter, a daughter that she was so proud of. A daughter that she wished she could've watched grown up. Because as much as she didn't want to see it, she had become like her—she'd become a fighter. She'd become a woman so ready to both face her fate and then spit into it like a petulant child. A woman who knew what was coming, accepted it, and still fought against it, tooth and nail, blood and bone. "I love you, Nata-chan," whispered Suki, lunging at her daughter.

Hinata narrowed her eyes and ran forwards to meet her mother halfway, more than ready.

_I love you too, Okaasan_.

* * *

Kankurō ran through the hallways, surprised no one was there to stop his movements, not even Kabuto—though that was a relief, seeing as how if Kankurō met him, he would take an hour out of his precious time to brutally and completely _demolish_ the man who had single-handedly screwed up Hinata's life. Kankurō was just not the kind of man just to let a thing like that go, though he knew that in part it was his fault for getting Kabuto so turned onto her in the first place.

Either way, he was glad he didn't have to worry about Kabuto. All his worry had been filled on two things: his father and Hinata. He was scared about fighting the Kazekage, even with the puppets, due to the type of ninjutsu the Kazekage used. He knew it was slightly childish to turn Gaara away when he was useful to him, but he couldn't help it—his angry, father-hating vengeful side _needed _this sole consolation.

But he was also worried about after he fought the Kazekage, after he got Hinata back: what then? How would he deal with her? All in all, Kankurō was not a forgiving sort of person: he mostly just grew past it. But with Hinata, all he could see was the hypocrisy of her actions versus her words: was it not _her _who'd broken up with him due to the fact that he went to the enemy in order to protect her? Now it was _her _in practically the same position, though Kankurō was not naïve enough to believe that she only aimed to protect him. What should he do? Just forget that Hinata had left? But he couldn't! Every time he thought of it, he burned with anger. And forget breaking up with her; he didn't know if he could handle losing her for a _third _time.

What would he even say to her?

Kankurō forced the thought of it out of his mind, attempting to focus on the task at hand. _Otousan. _He needed to fight his own father to get to her. It was like the cosmos was intent on making sure he worked damned hard for this girl, harder than he had ever worked. Maybe it was punishment for being a bad son, for being a bad brother, for being a murderer, for being a bad person; the list was endless in Kankurō's mind. But, whatever the reason was did not matter to him, because the fact remained that in the end, he still had to do it. He still had to seal his father. He still had to beat him.

His scrolls were heavy on his back, almost slowing him down. But it was okay. It gave him time to think as he clumsily tracked Hinata's chakra. It kept him from pushing himself too hard. That was good, too. He'd used a lot of his chakra sealing all those people attacking Kiba. That puppet had taken a lot of chakra to lose, but he didn't regret using it. He just hoped that he could get it to its rightful owner, and she'd be able to use it, because it worked _very _well; better than he'd ever hoped it to work.

It was, in a word, perfect. His best work ever. His best puppet. It almost hurt to know he'd made it for someone else, but when he reminded himself of whom, well… he became even more prideful in his work, if possible.

Hinata's chakra went dangerously low before coming back up slightly, making Kankurō subconsciously pick up his pace. _Hold on, Hina, _he thought, pushing chakra to his feet in order to run faster than he normally could with all the weight on his back. _I'm coming for you. Hold on—please hold on. I'm coming. _

_I'm coming._

* * *

Hinata quivered getting back up, one eye half-opened at this point, doing exactly as she said: using the blade as a cane, using it to support herself as she stood up. Suki hadn't expected anything less; Hinata had always kind of been a person of her word. Even though she was beating her, she was still proud of her nonetheless for fighting it, even down to her last breath. Hinata wiped at the blood dripping down her chin, simply smearing it across her skin rather than actually ridding herself of its traces. There was really too much for her to even think about wiping it away without soap and a sponge of some sort.

"You have good techniques, Hinata," said Suki.

Hinata smirked grimly. "Thank you, Okaasan." She coughed, hacking fresh blood onto the ground.

"I think enough is enough," said the Kazekage, who had merely been sitting off to the side, watching their battle with great interest and slight horror. _Is there such a thing as a merciful Hyūga? They attack each other fully intending to kill each other… they are mother and daughter. They at one time shared a body, shared blood, shared food… and now they are attacking each other as if they are nothing more than heartless murderers_…

"You were not raised in a Hyūga house, Kazekage-sama, so allow me to enlighten you," said Suki in a low, dangerous tone, "In our clan, a fight is not over until the other is dead or, at the very least, unconscious. We aim to kill, despite our relations with one another." Suki smiled softly at Hinata. "Hinata knows this fully well. I cannot begin to describe the types of fights her father used to force her to do with him. The only thing I can describe them is… bloodied."

"If I remember right, I've beat Otousan once," whispered Hinata with gritted teeth, lunging at her mother, surprising the Kazekage with the speed she still managed to have despite her injuries. Suki ducked, getting underneath Hinata enough to flip her over, making her land hard on her back. All the air flew out of Hinata's lungs, making her cough once more.

"That was very basic, Hinata, and I'm slightly disappointed you didn't avoid it. I'll chalk it up to exhaustion, though, sweetheart," said Suki in a lightly chastising voice. She tapped Hinata's shoulder with her foot. "Get up now, Hinata, and come at me again. Put some effort into it now, Hinata." To the Kazekage's complete horror, Hinata did as she was told, getting up on her shaky, quivering legs. Her arms, though, refused to budge, her limbs obviously too heavy to move. Hinata knelt down, picking up her fallen katana with her mouth, holding it tightly.

She looked absolutely lethal to the Kazekage, with her hair wild and dripping with her own blood, with her clothes ripped and as bloody as her hair, with her eyes narrowed at her mother. It was almost scary to see that this was a result of living in such a clan, of having such a life as the one she had. _Poor Kankurō, _he thought with a chuckle, _you've single-handedly picked a woman who's probably more dangerous to your health than I… I hope you'll never piss her off… _

Unable to make any hand signs for jutsu, Hinata sent her chakra to her feet, enveloping them in a cloud of sapphire blue, its brilliancy almost blinding to all around her. She used that element of surprise to begin her last attack, running with chakra-enhanced speed at her mother. It wasn't fast enough, though—Suki managed to move faster, taking the blade from Hinata's mouth and stabbing her through the back of her right knee, causing her to buckle and collapse. She suppressed the scream that so desperately wanted to escape her mouth, tears dripping down her face as her knee throbbed so painfully, so achingly. Suki yanked the blade out of her leg, causing the wound to flare and bleed more. She made a tsk sound with her teeth, throwing the blade to the side.

"Kazekage-sama, please put us in a dome," said Suki, hoisting up her in-pain daughter. "Hinata does not have it in her to fight me anymore, which is understandable. After all, I did just rip a hole through my daughter's right leg." She ripped off the edge of her shirt, happy that Hiashi had her buried not in her kimono, but in her ANBU uniform. Another thing she'd loved about him—he'd accepted fully that ANBU was a part of her life, for better or for worse. Quickly, she made a tourniquet, tying it tightly on Hinata's thigh in order to keep her completely bleeding out. At this point, Suki hypothesized that she didn't need to even try a genjutsu in order to get Hinata to do what Obito wanted; she would be too delirious to really think anything of it. She put a hand to her daughter's cheek.

"Sweetheart, do you remember the jutsu you did to control the Nine-Tails?" asked Suki softly.

"Hn," responded Hinata, nodding emptily and slowly. By now, her brain had taken affect to compensate for blood-loss by making her woozy, producing too much of a natural pain killer. In affect, Hinata was higher than a kite. She didn't know which way was up, and she also didn't know that there was really such a thing as _no _at this point. "D-Do you want me to do it?"

"Yes, please," said Suki, standing up and getting behind Hinata, pushing her chakra into Hinata's system from her shoulder. "Whenever you are ready to, Hinata, please commence with the jutsu." Hinata nodded slowly, her body eagerly accepting the fresh chakra. She raised her hand, the kanji for 'sit' appearing in the middle of her palm, the ten smooth-faced pillars ripping their way out of the ground once more. Suki looked back at the Kazekage, who had his arms crossed over his chest. "Kazekage-sama, I implore you. Please, create a dome over Hinata and me."

The Kazekage sighed. He knew his part fully well: he had to protect them. He put his palms flat against each other, dark rings appearing around his eyes as he released his own kekkei genkai, the Magnet Release, summoning all the gold in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully (and somewhat sadly, in the mind of the Kazekage) the hideout they were using had a high amount of gold dust embedded in its walls. Summoning it was no issue, and he brought it all over the two women, enclosing them within it.

He sat down, back to his golden creation, eyes closed, preparing himself for what was bound to come. His son. This was Kabuto's plan, of course, for the Kazekage to kill Kankurō. After all, Kabuto was some sort of sadist who thought it amusing enough to even think to watch a father kill his own son.

* * *

Shizuka's blood had stopped dripping a while ago, but that didn't mean he was saved. Miyu's healing and Shikaku's salves had bought him a couple of more hours, a day at the most. It was enough for him to see it through to the end of the battle, when all reincarnations were sealed away. Enough for him to be gathered, like the rest of the injured shinobi, and be allowed to get medical attention. Of course, Shizuka knew, as a medical shinobi himself, that there was nothing they could do, and he'd come to terms with that fact. He was ready for it, for death, ready to feel its cold embrace and meet with his brother once again.

Hanabi rubbed his now stiff brown hair, pushing it off of his face. He stared up at her, at his first friend. She was like a sister to him, and he'd miss her. But he was glad. Doing this, he'd be protecting her. He knew it. Hanabi knew it, but that didn't stop her from crying for him. It didn't stop her from screaming at the medics to help him, to get him those organs; organs that blew up right along with the hospital.

"Idiot," she muttered for the umpteenth time, rubbing her cheeks.

"Love you, too," he said both weakly and dryly, a faint smile on his lips. He was happy that he'd get to spend his last moments with her close.

"Don't say that, idiot. If you loved me, you wouldn't be doing this. _Idiot_." She was growing angry, and he could tell she was so tired. She poked his chest. "Moron. Idiot. Douche bag. Stupid. Retard. Idiot!"

"Stop focusing on me. Go get that check-up you refused," muttered Shizuka, tiredly grabbing at her hand and keeping it in his. "Worrying about me and ignoring your own health doesn't make you less of an idiot than I am, Nabi."

"I'm fine, you idiot."

"And you're a liar. You coughed up blood and randomly collapsed. That Uchiha girl told me so. People who are fine don't do that. Go seek medical attention, Nabi." She shook her head, tightening her grip on Shizuka's hand. He sighed. She was scared, she didn't want to say it; but he knew it. She was scared. She was scared of figuring out what was wrong with her, she was scared of losing Shizuka, she was scared of missing Shizuka's last moments, and she was scared that she would be the last of Team Naruto. She did have a lot to fear. Being the last one of your entire squad was such a load of loneliness on one's shoulders, Shizuka could figure that out by himself. He squeezed lightly. "Nabi, who'll carry on our memory if you die, too, because you didn't figure out what's wrong from the get-go? Who'll tell about the time that Shikaru and Naruto-sensei got into a ramen-eating contest? Who'll tell about the time that we got caught stealing all those Icha Icha novels from the adult store, or about the time Naruto-sensei accidentally brought us sake instead of juice after our first mission and we all got mind-boggling drunk?"

She smiled softly before it fell right back off of her face. "I'm scared, Zuka," she whispered.

"So am I, Nabi," he admitted, "But sometimes you have to face what you're scared of and meet it with as much ferocity as you can. That's the only way you'll get through life, by facing your fears with no regrets." He smiled softly. "Nabi, go. I promise you, I'm not going to go before you come back. I'll be right here, waiting for you." Hanabi nodded, tears dripping down her face. "I promise you," he repeated with certainty. She leaned over him and kissed his cheek softly, her tears getting onto his face. She let go of her friend, getting up from the floor and walking away, stepping carefully.

Shizuka sighed; glad he'd finally gotten through to his stubborn friend. He was absolutely concerned about her; because that had been too random for her to be completely alright. She had an underlying condition—of what, he didn't know, but she did.

The Hyūga had gracefully offered up their own compound for a station for the emergency medical station, taking care of everyone. Within minutes, the compound had been flooded with people, almost each room getting filled up with anywhere from two to eight people. Hanabi had to fight for Shizuka to be able to use her own bedroom for him, and only him; something he had been slightly embarrassed about, but Hiashi had been only too ready to agree. He felt guilty taking up his own room, but he supposed it was for the best—he was going to die anyways, and who'd want to wake up to see a dead body next to them.

Shizuka looked over at his new katana, given to him by his brother. Though he had not much strength, he reached out, picking up the blade and bringing it close to him. "Hayate," he whispered to the hilt, "Hayate; was this the way you felt when you were dying? So… certain?"

"No, actually, I was panicking like you wouldn't even believe, but that's beside the point."

Shizuka jumped, dropping the blade, surprised by the voice. "What the fuck…"

"Hey, what's with the language? I never taught you to speak like that. I think you spent a little too much time with Genma as a kid." There was a sudden weight on Shizuka's chest, and he peeled his eyes away from the fallen sword and looked up, surprised to see his brother sitting cross-legged on his chest, peering down at him with a soft expression. Hayate smirked. "If your eyes get any wider, Shizu, your eyes will pop out of your skull. That won't be pretty, would it, to have a giant hole in the middle of your body _and _to have empty eye sockets?"

"Hayate," gasped Shizuka, "You're… you're…"

"Dead, thanks for trying to state the obvious," said Hayate with an eye roll. "Yeah, I know. But what can I say? Little brothers trying to die before they even get their first kiss kind of deserves my attention." Hayate hopped off of his chest, kneeling down next to the blade. "Well, you kind of got a lot of attention, not just mine. I'm kind of just a messenger sent to talk to you. Like a foreign diplomat, really." He picked up the sword, holding it in his hands before pointing it's sheathe tip at Shizuka, almost brushing against his nose. "You're not dying today."

"W-What?" asked Shizuka, confused. "Says who?! You're dead!"

"I am. You really like to brag about that, don't you?" said Hayate, trying to keep light about the situation. "And, for your information, every Gekkō before you who's ever used this katana says so. Now hold still. I've got things to do, and I can't have you squirming." He unsheathed the blade, the metal shining in the low sunlight. Shizuka's eyes widened as Hayate brought the blade down through the thick wraps that had been put over his wound, hitting the bed underneath with ease. "Damn, wider hole than I thought. That kid got you good."

"What are you doing?" asked Shizuka, confused.

"The council and I are going to heal you, and the best way to do that is if our chakra can get a clear view of everything we need to heal up." Hayate wrapped his hand around the blade. "Yeah, they agree that this is a good spot. Really good spot." Hayate rubbed his hands together. "This katana has been handed to every first-born Gekkō son since the creation of the shinobi world. We're no clan, but we do have our traditions. You see, Shizu, this blade's special. With each use, it stores up point-zero-one percent of your chakra. That means that in affect, the blade is kind of like a contract, binding some of your soul. A good sixty-seven percent of me is in that blade, and honestly, it's still roomy in there. It's kind of like a whole world in there. Trust me; you'd like it in there."

"Okay," said Shizuka slowly, absorbing the information. "But why are you doing this?"

Hayate stopped moving, looking down at his brother. "Why the hell wouldn't I? Why wouldn't we? We're your family, Shizu." He stuck out his tongue. "Besides, we all think it'll be horrible for Konoha to lose someone like you. There's so much more you could do with your life than to just die." Hayate formed a hand sign. "Usually, we're supposed to offer you a choice to live or die. But considering you were not supposed to get this sword, the choice is given to me, even though I'm dead, because I'm the first-born Gekkō. I chose life for you."

"But you chose death for yourself," whispered Shizuka.

Hayate paused before smiling lightly. "Caught that, huh?" he said, grabbing onto the hilt of the blade. "One day, I'll tell you, Shizu. But right now, I need to get you out of this bed so you can go and do what you really wanna do—go find that friend of yours."

* * *

Hanabi was stiff, moving slowly, feeling physically sick. _This can't be real, _she thought, _there's no way that's possible. _She'd gotten physically violent with the Hyūga that had observed her and told her exactly was wrong, and she went now to tell Shizuka, went to go ask him if it was possible. _He'd know_, _wouldn't he? He'd tell me the truth. Yeah, he'll tell me that it's wrong, because Shizuka's a genius and he knows it's not true…_ She slowed up more, if possible, upon seeing Genma scream at an attending stand-in nurse.

"Genma-san? What are you doing?" asked Hanabi, coming up on the two of them slowly.

Genma turned his gaze to her. "Where is he?!" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," whispered Hanabi, shaking her head. "Where's who? I don't understand…"

"Shizuka, of course!" barked Genma, "He's not in your room, and she's refusing to tell me where he's been moved. Is he dead? Did he pass? Why won't you tell me?"

"Shizuka's _gone_?!" wailed Hanabi, pushing past Genma and the nurse and yanking the door open, finding that what Genma said was true. There was not a trace of Shizuka anywhere in the room. It was like he hadn't even been there; it'd been so well cleaned up. "Where is he? Why wasn't I notified of his movement?!" said Hanabi, ganging up with Genma on the nurse, who, by this point, was sobbing.

"Hanabi-sama, Genma-san; stop it!" came the voice of Kō, grabbing the two by their shoulders and yanking them away, apologizing profusely to the much-abused nurse, who simply ran off.

"Shizuka's gone! Where is he?!" barked Genma.

Kō sighed. "That's what we're trying to figure out, if you'll let me speak. He isn't anywhere in the compound. There's not a trace of his chakra anywhere. It's like he was never here."

* * *

Shizuka felt so alive. So new, so fresh. Like a brand new him. He almost laughed, ecstatic, before remembering what he had to do. Who had to get. He had to find Shikaru. He had to bring him back, safe and sound. It wasn't enough to know he'd gotten Shikaru back to his sense; he needed to bring him back for not only his sake, but for Hanabi's sake. But, furthermore, he had the feeling that something new and hellish was on its way, and he also had the feeling that Shikaru was smack-dab in the middle of it.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Of Denial

**I have a reason for uploading a chapter now rather than three days ago. You see, three days ago, I had this full chapter. I put it up here and everything, and I was ready to put it up. I was so excited. And then I did something I rarely ever do. I reread the chapter after the first reread. And I realized something. It sucked. It was like, really bad. It had this epic opening and then it ended like crap. No explanations or reasons for what had happened. Everything in that chapter had just happened, and it actually confused me a little. I just couldn't, in good conscience, put that piece of shit up. But, the bad thing was, as soon as I deleted it, I realized I couldn't figure out what to write. I just wrote THIS two hours ago, and it was infinitesimally better than that piece of shit I was going to put up. **

**So here is this version. If I left you slightly confused on one part, don't worry. I'll clear it up nice and proper in the next chapter. :) **

**To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: hehe, thank you for liking this thing. And I wanted to add just a little bit more drama. I decided it wouldn't hurt, and besides, isn't it already assumed that Shikamaru and Temari are going to have a bunch of little kids together even in the manga? It's so obvious that I want to smack myself in the forehead. And to imagine Gaara's face... that was making me giggle while I was writing. I can't even describe it! But trust that... it's hilarious (but, really, any face besides extreme calmness or obsessive psychotic-ness looks hilarious on Gaara). To ****McKazekage****: I have really made you hate Sakura in this fic, haven't I? Sad thing is, when you suggested that, all I could think was, "Hmm... fucking awesome idea!" Hayate was really cool, and I'll go into the reasons of why he chose it someday... if I do a sequel fic for this... IDK right now. I've got some ideas, though xP**

**I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY!**

**DISCLAIMER: blah blah, don't own, blah blah, don't sue. **

"Just a little further," promised Suigetsu. Neji looked at him and rolled his eyes, mostly annoyed that he wasn't really needed. Shikamaru was aware that it was pretty much a jealousy thing, knowing that even with his Byakugan Neji was not a detrimental part of the group. Shikamaru snickered at his teammate's envy of Suigetsu's usefulness, knowing that Suigetsu would never really realize that Neji was actually jealous of him. As far as he'd realized, Suigetsu was actually lazier than himself. If Suigetsu had a choice, he'd happily give him every amount of information that he had to them and allow them to do all the work for him.

_I wonder if Neji realizes that the guy he's so jealous of doesn't even want to lead the way? _Shikamaru thought, keeping all his thoughts to himself. Anything that he could say aloud on the subject would be regarded as him being an ass. Not that he had a problem with that; he realized he was an ass. But he wasn't very interested in being judged very harshly about it. He was sure that Suigetsu, though lazy, would be the type to make a bigger deal of it than was necessary. And Neji was… Neji. Neji could be faced with a cardboard shoebox and make it into a dramatic tragedy that he'd had to face, or at least he would now, since… Shikamaru shook his head, forcing out the knowledge. He knew it was true, but he also knew it would be too much of a bother.

So it was better just to keep his mouth shut on the subject. That did not, however, mean that he was going to keep silent—he wouldn't be Nara Shikamaru otherwise. "How much further is a little further, Suigetsu? Because you've said 'just a little further' three times already."

"If we'd used the Byakugan…" muttered Neji. Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Neji's interruption, but didn't note on the remark. _Drama queen…_

Suigetsu glared over at him. "I can't tell if this is him on PMS or him regularly…"

"This is him when he hasn't gotten any in a couple of days," admitted Shikamaru, shaking his head. Neji glared wickedly at him, annoyed. "He's not denying it because it's all too true. Tenten's probably gone and done something particularly evil."

Suigetsu grimaced. "Do I want to know about this?" he asked.

"No," growled Neji, activating his Byakugan for effect. "You don't want to know anything about this, Akatsuki." Suigetsu stopped, putting his hands on his hips, glaring at Neji with equal animosity. Those two together was like a constant pissing contest and it was beginning to annoy the shit out of Shikamaru, and Shikamaru could take a lot of annoyances.

"Neji, stop being a baby," said Shikamaru, rolling his eyes at his teammate. "Suigetsu, stop allowing Neji to rile you up." Neji and Suigetsu both growled at him, watching him as he walked forwards. "Suigetsu, how much further to Naruto? Give me a distance with numbers." He listened to absolute silence. "Suigetsu! Number, please."

"Gimme… gimme a second." Suigetsu sounded slightly… befuddled. Shikamaru turned, confused, and then saw Suigetsu counting his fingers. Shikamaru nearly cursed upon remembering that mathematics hadn't been a concern when training Mist shinobi—they were trained to kill and nothing more. Things like distances and addition hadn't been a part of Suigetsu's shinobi education.

"Umm… Suigetsu…?" said Shikamaru, frowning slightly, "I'm just going to have Neji lead…"

"I said gimme a second!" snapped Suigetsu, irritated by the interruption from Shikamaru. "Carry the one… Ah… fuck this." He growled under his breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hyūga can lead if he wants. I mean, I guess…" Shikamaru and Neji both smothered their laughs. It was slightly funny to see such a deadly and capable shinobi having problems with basic addition.

Neji nodded at Shikamaru, moving in front of them, looking ahead with his Byakugan. He frowned, confused. "I see him," he said slowly, uncertainly. "He's on the edge of my vision… so, sixty meters, about. He's ahead, so Suigetsu was correct in saying that we were close."

"So why do you sound confused?" asked Shikamaru.

"Suigetsu swore that there were several Edo Tenseis guarding Naruto," said Neji hesitantly.

"Thirty," responded Suigetsu.

"And?" said Shikamaru, slightly confused by Neji's hesitation.

"There's none," said Neji, shaking his head. Both Suigetsu and Shikamaru's worry built quickly. Anyone untrained would take it as a sign of good luck. As shinobi, though, they were designed to never take anything handed to them upon a silver platter, because more than likely it was laced with poison, or worse—a bomb would be stuck to the bottom of the platter.

"Should we abort the mission?" asked Shikamaru.

"I definitely think so," said Suigetsu, "Who knows where those bastards are… they could be in the walls right now for all we damn well know…"

"No." Both Shikamaru and Suigetsu whipped around, turning and looking at Neji, whose uncertainty had been replaced with what looked like determination and confidence. "Naruto's unconscious, right? The whole point of guarding him would be to make sure that he didn't run off. If he's not even awake, how exactly is Naruto supposed to run off? He can't. So they obviously got reassigned, because they were summoned for their abilities. So… they left. They probably didn't even think someone is even coming."

"It's not like this place doesn't have any type of security, Neji," said Suigetsu slowly. "If you breathe the wrong way different types of protection jutsus will take place and fry your fuckin' brain right there in that skull of yours. They've probably known we were here for a while now."

"So why hasn't anyone stopped us then?" asked Neji, crossing his arms over his chest. Suigetsu swallowed, thinking through Neji's point. It did make a lot of sense to him, but even Suigetsu knew himself that he was slightly more than simple-minded, except when it came to killing. If it were killing, he could come up with a whole lot of intelligent, intriguing, and mischievous ways to murder. Instead, Suigetsu looked at Shikamaru, who seemed lost in thought. Neji leveled his stare at Shikamaru as well. "Does it make sense?"

"Yes," said Shikamaru uncertainly, swallowing what felt like a ball of apprehension. Apprehension of what, he didn't know. "Yeah, it make sense. They're probably just screwing around with us."

Neji smirked. "Exactly."

* * *

_Run_.

This was the only thought that was running through Shikaru's mind as he moved forwards blindly through the forest, unsure of even where he was going but uncaring. He just needed to get away. He needed to get away from Shizuka, to get away from Amai, to get away from Hanabi… he needed to get away from Konohagakure. All he could see when he laid eyes on the village was not his home, but a Bingo book with giant _X_'s through many shinobi's faces. He'd killed so many. There was so much blood that Shikaru thought that he'd closed his eyes and looked up at the sun. It terrified him, not that the blood was there, but that he was the one who put it there.

His clothes were stained with it. His hands were covered with it. He could almost feel it in the back of his throat—he remembered what had happened that he came to swallow some. He shuddered at the thought of it. _I'm a disease! _Shikaru thought, closing his eyes and continuing forwards, _I'm a sickness! _

He once again wished for death, but he knew that with the things he'd done, God would probably tack on another whole lifetime for him to live so he could see it all again. He honestly thought that he was so terrible that not even hell would want to take him. The reaper would probably laugh in his face and then make him live more.

He remembered when he'd sworn not to let the other guy take him over again to his uncle. Shikaku had looked so proud of him that Shikaru had wanted to cry. Shikaku was the closest thing Shikaru had to an actual father anymore. Though he didn't allow them to get very close to him, he considered them to be a true family. He would promise them the world, and he would work hard as hell to make sure he held up his end of the bargain. Killing those shinobi was not holding up his end of the bargain—that was taking the bargain and burning it right in front of Shikaku.

_They hate me, they all hate me! I can't go back! I can't! I can't face all that hatred! _Shikaru wished he could gouge out his eyes and remove their evil from the world, but he knew that before he could throw them out for good, someone would catch them and use them for themselves. Eyes like his only created trouble. Eyes like his were bound to bring nothing but evil. He hated them, his bloodlines. Why was he punished with such a burden? It didn't make sense to him, as to why he'd been given such evil things.

It was safe to say that Shikaru felt guilty.

A scream rippled through the air, stealing Shikaru instantly from his thoughts. He snapped his eyes opened at the sound of such terror, feeling heartsick almost immediately. So soon after he caused such a scream, he had to hear an exact copy? Where in the universe was that something that was fair, especially to a thirteen-year-old? Shikaru stopped moving, slamming down on the tree and stopping, listening for more screams, for their location. Even though he knew he had no right, he wanted to help. He wanted to fix the terror by making it go away.

_Right_, thought Shikaru upon hearing another, angling as he felt appropriate and jumping back off the tree, heading directly for the source of the screams. Unknowingly, Shikaru was doing two things: one, he was headed straight back to the Akatsuki hideout, exactly where he didn't want to go to or see. Secondly, he was allowing a very clear path for Kakashi and his father to trail him.

Uchiha Shisui's brow furrowed behind his shaggy hair, a frown setting deep in his features. "He's changed course, I think," said Shisui to Kakashi.

Kakashi didn't bat an eye. "Which direction?" he asked, taking a careful sniff of the air. _His scent is getting stronger… we must be getting very close to him. He's much faster than us, so his grief must be getting in the way of him thinking properly and running like he normally should be. _

"To the right," said Shisui, nodding in affirmative. Kakashi looked over at him, noting his apparent apprehension. Kakashi could've snickered at that—the all-powerful Uchiha Shisui of the Body Flicker was apprehensive about getting his son. Kakashi knew he wasn't afraid of pissing him off, but he was afraid that his son might hate him. He understood that it was a thing he would only get after becoming a parent, and he felt like that was so far off the tables that he didn't even think twice about it.

"He doesn't seem aware that we're trailing," said Kakashi. _No shit, _thought Kakashi, _if you'd killed that many people that you actually care about against your will and have to remember every single detail, you'd be so far beyond noticing any trails. _It was only logical. Grief overtook reason hands-down every single time, especially if you're only thirteen. Kakashi knew this fully well, as did probably Shisui.

"Even though I don't have the right, I'm worried about him," said Shisui. "I gave up my right to worry about him years ago. But I'm worried about him right now. I worry he's going to get hurt."

"Reasonable," said Kakashi, "You're his father. Nothing's going to change that." It was, again, only logical enough for Shisui to worry about Shikaru. No amount of anything was going to change the fact that Shisui was Shikaru's father, and not even giving up his right to anything about Shikaru was going to stop him from worrying. It was just a step up from his own natural worry about his students, all of them. Even Sakura. He'd watched and helped them grow up, after all, and acted basically as their parents when their own couldn't. They were all very close to him, and all he wanted right now was to repair his world so that all four of them—including Sakura—would be back in it, and everything would seem to be alright and fixed.

But he wasn't stupid. There was no fixing this. Things were not going to be the same.

* * *

_This is too easy. _

Shikamaru had always been taught that no mission—whether D-ranked or S-ranked—was easy. Each one had a degree of difficulty; it was just a matter of adjusting to the situation and learning quickly how to achieve a goal with the parameters set. That was a basic knowledge Shikamaru had been taught by his father, a sure-fire genius; and Shikamaru had always known this to be true. His father had always told him that if something seemed too easy, then there was an underlying problem. That he had to look underneath the underneath.

Sometimes, Shikamaru forgot.

But now he was remembering.

Firstly, Shikamaru had to assess the situation. Where was he? He was running down a hallway, of course, with Suigetsu and Neji. What was going on? They were escaping with Naruto in tow. The jinchūriki in question had been thrown over Suigetsu's shoulder, as he was the person best equipped to deal with the low of the unconscious shinobi; what with his ability to spontaneously develop extreme muscle mass. Neji stayed in the middle, as his eyes gave him a near-complete circular range of vision. Shikamaru was in the back, and he could compensate for Neji's blind spot.

_Okay, _thought Shikamaru, _now look deeper. You're missing something. _

It'd been odd and noted when they finally found Naruto, completely unguarded and unchained. Suigetsu had told them that when he'd left, there had been more than thirty shinobi guarding him. Neji had made an observation that it was quite possibly unnecessary for the leader to waste obvious man power on someone unconscious. It made some degree of sense, at the time, but the further that Shikamaru analyzed it, the less sense it made to him. Naruto was an important part of the plan; without the Nine-Tails they could not possibly make a Jūbi. Even unconscious, guarding Naruto should be an utmost concern to them.

So this had something to do with the strange lack of guards. But what? That was something he couldn't quite figure out. _There'd been no guards, at all._ The thought just could not escape Shikamaru's mind. It'd worried Shikamaru when he saw this. It had also worried Suigetsu.

It hadn't worried Neji. Neji was an over-sensitive type of guy who hated incorrect information. Neji wouldn't have come up with such a cockamamie excuse for a reason behind a lack of guard on Naruto. Neji would've been instantly on guard and overly cautious. In fact, the Neji he knew would've said to abandon Naruto and to get their asses out of there, quickly; for the survival of both themselves and the mission. No, Neji wouldn't press on. Shikamaru's hands joined together slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements. He was glad he'd chosen to put himself into Neji's blind spot; it gave him a degree of flexibility and range in order to attack the Byakugan user.

"Neji," called Shikamaru.

"Hmm?" called back his ANBU teammate.

"Naruto's unconscious, right? So how about we ditch him somewhere safe and then go get Hinata for Kankurō, huh?" Shikamaru asked, slowing up in order to widen his field of motion.

"No," said Neji, keeping forwards, "We've got to continue with the mission given to us. Hyūga will be fine on her own. She's not our concern." Shikamaru grinned. _Gotcha. _Hand seals made, Shikamaru successfully managed to trap Neji within his shadow, stopping all of his movements. "What are you…?"

"Genjutsus affect the minds and acts to create an alternate reality, or dream, for shinobi to trap their enemies within. It's best to avoid being caught on surveillance missions, or to avoid enemies from stealing secrets and items. They are normally easy to detect, should someone have a good amount of training and has the ability to avoid it. However, there are some genjutsus so thick that not even the Sharingan can see through it; some are so thick that only the Byakugan can render the shinobi unaffected," said Shikamaru, interrupting himself to whistle at Suigetsu, capturing his attention and motioning for him to join him behind Neji and get out of his range of vision. "That's the only reason Suigetsu and I are captured within it and Neji is not."

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm Neji!"

"If you were Neji, you would've ditched Naruto in a heartbeat to go get Hinata; mission be damned. In fact, the moment that there were no guards around, Neji would've ditched the mission in order to keep him comrades out of harm's way, 'cause Neji's troublesome that way." Shikamaru flicked a glance at Suigetsu, who dropped the unconscious body of Naruto without much thought, unsheathing his sword. "While you are a projection of another's will, your body only exists in the mind of the affected; which is the two of us. Our will is what decides whether or not you live or die, your death being the end of the genjutsu."

"Enough talk," growled Suigetsu, "Can this bastard move?"

"Troublesome," said Shikamaru in a slightly amused voice, "No."

Suigetsu grinned. "Good." Suigetsu ran forward, swinging his arm back and bring it forwards, successfully cleaving Neji's head off of his body. Immediately, the genjutsu collapsed, bringing the two of them back to reality. They were in a dark room, with an invisible ceiling from their vantage point; leading Shikamaru to think that it was the ceiling was simply too far up. Only one low flame lit up the middle of the room, almost flickering out of existence, but making Shikamaru know that the room was circular in its dimensions.

They had literally been walking in circles.

A groan from the floor by Shikamaru's feet stole the two boy's attentions, surprising them when they saw a bound and gagged Neji at Shikamaru's feet. Shikamaru knelt down and untied the gag on Neji's mouth, allowing the boy to breath, finally. And then he promptly bit Shikamaru's hand, chomping down on the Nara's flesh as hard as he could.

"_WHAT THE FUCK_!" screamed out Shikamaru, shaking Neji's mouth off of his hand, knowing the Hyūga had chomped down hard enough to draw some blood. Neji was relentless; not letting go even when Shikamaru kicked him in the forehead. Suigetsu stared at the two with an incredulous expression, thinking, _even the serious Leaf shinobi are overly ridiculous. Have they no shame? _"Neji let my fucking hand go! This hurts, you ass!"

"It's supposed to!" growled Neji, finally letting go of Shikamaru, who instantly grabbed his hand and attempted to stop the bleeding. "Do you know how _tall _that guy that was carrying me is, Shikamaru? Do you know how painful that drop was? VERY, that's the answer, Shikamaru-san, very painful!" Neji got up on his knees, shuffling over to Shikamaru, going around him to his back and then turning around, going through Shikamaru's weapons pouch and stealing a kunai, using it to cut through the thick chakra-stopping ropes. "And do you know how long it took you to get out of that genjutsu, Shikamaru? An hour, that's how long, _an hour! _Sixty minutes I've been on that guy's shoulder, going around in a giant circle and trying to beg you two to at least _stop _for a minute!"

"Excuse me," said Suigetsu, raising his finger, "But, um, I've got a name…."

"Shut the hell up," seethed Neji as he finished cutting through the ropes, allowing him to move onto his ankles. "Didn't you guys even notice how long that you were walking? Shit."

Suigetsu came besides Shikamaru. "Are you sure that's your Hyūga? Sure he's not a genjutsu?"

Shikamaru snickered. "Nah. This is him, alright. We have the right self-important white-eyed asshole this time." Shikamaru's smile slipped off of his face as he looked up. "Which means this place is real, too." He looked down at his hand and grimaced. It was already turning an ugly sort of color. He went into his back pouch, pulling out a first-aid kit he knew he had there. Hinata had given all three of them, Kakashi, Neji, and himself, that was; a small medical kit in case of injuries.

_Hinata, _Shikamaru thought with a sigh, pulling out a salve that Hinata had given him specifically to deal with open, bleeding wounds. He knew she'd made most of them herself. The only thing that she hadn't made in the entire kit was the bandaging. He smiled softly—even now, Hinata was doing more for her team than she was for herself. Would her selflessness ever cease? _Nah, then she wouldn't be Hinata, really, _thought Shikamaru with a smirk, rubbing the soothing cream on his bite. Though he didn't show it very well, he was worried about her. He'd come to adore the girl as a friend. He wished he could help her, save her, but he also knew it wasn't his place. It wasn't his mission. He knew, clear as day, that it was Kankurō's. The puppet master wouldn't settle for anything less.

His mission had been to save Naruto, and he'd spent an hour of it trapped in a _fucking_ genjutsu.

"We have to get out of here," said Shikamaru, interrupting whatever rant Neji was currently in. "Neji; you probably know this room better than us by now. Where is the exit?"

Neji pointed to his right. "There. There was a seal placed on it when we brought inside; I saw them place it with my Byakugan." Neji stood up, crossing his arms over his chest, activating his Byakugan, closing his eyes. Shikamaru knew fully well that he was observing the seal upon the door. "It's not very complicated. I destroy it easily with an over-abundance of chakra. The problem is that there are four shinobi on the other side of the door who need sealing, and they took all the sealing scrolls I had on me, as well as the ones you had, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded, rubbing his chin. "So we can't seal them like that."

"I can seal them with a water technique," offered Suigetsu, surprising the two of them. They honestly hadn't thought he had anything to offer other than an ability to kill without thought or remorse. "Learned it from my brother when I was young. It's simple beyond belief. I just need to be able to see my target to seal them up—and they've gotta be still."

"So we can't break the seal on the door until they're sealed, but we can't seal them until we open the door," sighed Neji, raising an eyebrow and sighing. "Great…"

"Hold on, it's not like we're out of hope," said Shikamaru with a smirk. He cracked his knuckles and sat down on the floor, his strategy already in play. "Neji, I need your Byakugan. I need you to tell me exactly where they are. And afterwards, I need complete silence, 'cause if I'm gonna do this, I need silence so I can focus on what I'm doing."

People so often underestimated the genius that was the Nara clan minds, especially that of Nara Shikamaru. People who met him often thought that he was nothing more than a lazy idiot who slept in class and would rather stare at clouds. But people who knew him knew better than to use his hobbies as to define his person. Yes, Shikamaru was lazy. Yes, he would rather take a nap. Yes, he would rather stare at clouds. But they didn't realize that he did these things in order to keep his constantly moving mind from going too fast and to keep from forgetting the things in life he really wanted. Should Shikamaru not do these things, then he would've surely gone past the knowledge any person deserves; dreaming up inventions and ideas that would rival the legendary thinkers of his world that he only dreamed of meeting.

But, sometimes, Shikamaru had to put aside these childish things in order to grow up, even for a moment. He had to put aside these things and become the freaky genius that his clan had made him into in order for him and his comrades to get out of sticky situations. Sometimes he had to remind people that the name of 'Nara Shikamaru' was not one to be scorned. No, it was one to be feared; especially when you've pissed him off enough that he felt that needed to act.

Neji's information was exact enough for Shikamaru as his shadow snaked its way out from underneath the door and, therefore, out of his field of vision, thinning it out enough that it should be invisible to the eye of those he was capturing. With ease and efficiency, Shikamaru managed to grab all four targets, rendering them unable to move. As they struggled, a small smile of pride grew on Shikamaru's face.

"Open the door, Neji," ordered Shikamaru, opening his eyes and nodding at the white-eyed Hyūga. Neji nodded, holding back a light smile of amusement at watching the genius work. Neji filtered the correct amount of chakra to his fingertip, bringing it to the doorknob and barely brushing against it.

"Release," he whispered, breaking the seal quicker than it had placed, swinging the door open. Suigetsu needed no orders as he moved forwards quickly, running through the open doorway into the brighter hallway, brushing against the four captured shinobi, making sure an efficient amount of water was on their bodies before weaving the correct hand signs, making the water grow exponentially. They screamed as it surrounded their bodies in a bubbling, sizzling mass until the water swooped over their heads, rendering them voiceless. The water then turned blood red in color, its heat visible to both comrades of Suigetsu's, and then stopped moving, seemingly becoming solid.

It had only taken them two minutes to get out.

* * *

"He's awake." Those two simple words were something that made excitement pump fresh in his veins, making him seem more sick and twisted than he normally was. Obito smiled widely—sincerely, actually; for the first time in many years. Obito had never been this happy since he'd found out that he was alive after getting his entire right side crushed by a giant fucking _boulder_ (a fact he was still slightly bitter about. He actually went back to the site once to see where he'd been killed. He ended up destroying it completely because he realized that its existence marked the point where his life was drastically and horribly changed).

"Where is he, then? Taking out trash?" asked Obito with a snicker.

"H-He's done," stuttered the young recruit. Obito raised an eyebrow at him, amused by his fear. "He… He's on his way to you right now. H-He said to expect h-him soon…"

"I bet he's gone off and done something that's proving his power right now," said Obito gleefully, highly amused by his partner's antics. Obito usually hated him, but now he was actually kind of glad to see him. If things went his way, seeing this man now meant that he would get to make the world a better place. A world of no weakness. Of no standards. A world of peace. A world of love.

A world with Rin in it. He could not imagine a more perfect world than to be in one where Rin existed. He loved her, so deeply and truly that it actually hurt. He'd tried to confess to her, but he just couldn't figure out how until she had died. It was heart-breaking to know he could never admit it to her. He could never tell her how much he wanted to be with her. He could never tell her how much he wanted to be _hers, _and for her to be _his_.

He could remember every part of her clearly. Every facial expression, every movement, every tone, every word. Nothing had faded from his mind (in fact, everything had just gotten stronger over the years). He could even still remember their first time clearly, as clear as day. Rin had been particularly distraught one day, and one thing had led to another, and next thing Obito knew, he was on his back on her kitchen floor, hands on her hips and looking up at her through a mist of what he knew to be pleasure. Never had she been freer to him. Never had she been more perfect. Never had her touch been so exciting and stimulating, never had her voice been so harmonious, never had she been so warm. Even then, she hadn't realized that he'd loved her more than anything. He'd understood and allowed her space to make up her own mind about her feelings. He didn't mind, because in his mind, she would always be there.

And then Kakashi went and stole her away from him.

Just the thought of Kakashi was enough to ruin his good mood. Instantly, his smile slipped off of his face as he thought of all the ways to make Kakashi suffer for what he'd done. Obito hated Kakashi, hated every part about him. It made him sick to even think he shared an eye with such a bastard, with such a low life. He wished it was Kakashi who'd gotten crushed by the boulder; he deserved it more than Obito had. He just wanted Kakashi dead and gone.

And he wanted him to suffer. Oh, shall he suffer. He had it all planned out, even. First, he was going to take that pink-haired little bitch and slowly slit her throat, making sure to milk her for every drop of blood in her evil little body. Next, he would forcibly remove the seal on Sasuke—effectively and totally killing him. After that, once he had no use for Hinata, he'd rip a hole through her chest cavity as slowly as he possibly could.

And then, after all that torture; he'd finally kill him. He'd have the Jūbi, which would contain Naruto, eat him whole so that Kakashi would spend years on end stuck in that stomach, slowly but surely being digested by the beast. Because Kakashi deserved it, such treatment. He deserved it because he'd basically done it to him the moment he stuck his hand straight through Rin.

"You're thinking about that Hatake boy who left you for naught, Obito, aren't you?" Obito had known he'd come in already, for about a minute now. He simply chose to ignore him, instead thinking about listening to Kakashi beg. He'd never heard him beg, really, but he knew that if he put those people in danger, then he'd be ready to grovel.

"How could you tell?" asked Obito sarcastically, forcibly disengaging himself from thoughts of Kakashi's sweet torture and instead looking at his counterpart. It was slightly shocking to see him like this, even though he'd been the one to come up with the idea after Pain had died. It was just that… well, he seemed young. Nothing like the extremely old geezer Obito knew him to be. "Had your fun, old man?"

"No," said Madara, frowning. Well, Obito wasn't sure that the facial expression on his face could be considered a frown. It was something in between a frown and… well, what, Obito didn't know. He may be an Uchiha, but he was never quite one as emotionless as say Sasuke or Itachi, and definitely not like Madara. All Obito knew was that Madara was frowning the only way he knew how. "It was all to short. They don't build shinobi like they used to."

"Jūgo, surely, was tough," said Obito.

"It was like fighting with a one-year-old female civilian back in my day," said Madara, almost… huffy? Obito wasn't sure what that was. "At least the one-year-old would've at least left a sore. You severely overestimated that man to me, Obito." Obito raised an eyebrow. He'd only gauged Jūgo based on Sasuke's own difficulty fighting him. He'd never personally fought Jūgo; he had no interest. It would be a waste of time. "And that Inuzuka was unconscious by the time I got there from a previous battle. I took pity on him, and the dog." Madara shrugged. "I only broke their legs a little."

Obito sighed. Even he thought that Madara's terms of pity was very misguided, but like always, he didn't say anything. He didn't want to, and he didn't need to.

* * *

The first time that the Fourth Kazekage saw Kankurō fight his older sister, he'd noticed something about him. Kankurō did not fight like a normal person; or at least a normal person in his terms. No, more often than not, Kankurō tended to detach himself from the situation, as if he actually really did not want to be there, which was probably the case. In addition, and weirdly enough, with all his potential… Kankurō did not like close-ranged fighting or brawls. No, he preferred to stand back and let a dummy take over for him. He didn't hide himself, even. He just stood back and watched with that empty, emotionless face.

Slowly, the Fourth figured out why he did that. He didn't do it because he wanted to, like the Fourth thought originally. No, this was actually a learned behavior on Kankurō's part, to be detached during battle. He had spent one too many times watching Gaara and himself practice, surprisingly without the Fourth's knowledge of the fact. Kankurō had learned from them to detach himself, and from them he got his need to control _something_—in this case, the puppets.

It was the only way he felt like he belonged. It was a coping mechanism that the Fourth hadn't even recognized until a psychologist had told him shortly before he'd been killed. Apparently, the beatings had acted to both chase Kankurō away from him and bring him closer. Meaning, consciously, Kankurō would do his best to distance himself from his father through any means—black clothing, Kabuki paint, puppets, attitude. But subconsciously, Kankurō strived to be exactly like his father in terms of shinobi skills. The psychologist hypothesized that Kankurō actually had a deep-buried worship for his father, though his mind continuously told him that he hated his father.

"I haven't seen many cases like this, Kazekage-sama," the psychologist had said, "But it seems that Kankurō-sama has it. I'd love to observe him further…" Instantly, the Fourth had refused the psychologist, not really knowing what to think about this information he was just endowed with. Now, nearly four years later, the Fourth knew what to think about it. Now he knew that getting Kankurō to face this deep psychological problem would be his way to find absolution.

He knew that Kankurō had seen the third eye he had surveying the entire room, since Kankurō had taken a moment to glare at it before fully walking into the room, moving slowly. The eye followed him, as the Fourth wanted to look upon him. It'd been a long time since he'd gotten to see his son and actually interact with him, and the worst thing was… he couldn't figure out what he wanted to say to him. His mind was absolutely blank. He knew he couldn't say "Sorry, kiddo" because that would instantly unleash all of Kankurō's fury and definitely wouldn't get him that absolution he so desperately desired. In fact, he knew he couldn't say anything.

Kankurō had to.

Kankurō put his hand on the golden dome, seemingly ignoring the fact that the third eye followed his progress with eagerness. He stared at the dome for a minute, concentration and intent on his face. "You have Hinata in here, don't you, Kazekage-sama?" asked Kankurō finally in a curt voice, not moving his gaze from the gold.

"Yes," said the Fourth. He wasn't even going to try and talk his way out of admitting that one. "She's alright. Mostly uninjured"—he didn't want to tell Kankurō that she had a giant hole through her knee that was probably bleeding freely as they spoke, so he didn't tell him—"She's also pretty damned fierce. And I'm pretty sure she hates me as much as you must."

"She's not weak, that's for sure," said Kankurō, almost affectionately despite the terse atmosphere. "And as for the last thing… I doubt that. I can't think of anyone that could possibly hate you more than I do, _Kazekage-sama_… though I don't think I can call you that anymore. Saying that sounds disrespectful towards the _current_ Kazekage… and I'd rather stab myself in the gut than disrespect Gaara, though I suspect that at this point he's ready to stab me himself."

"Gaara is the Kazekage?" asked the Fourth lightly; knowing the fact already but not wanting to tip Kankurō off that he might've been watching his progress. "That's…" He couldn't even find the word to say. He'd observed Gaara as Kazekage, and he'd felt nothing but pride in his son's achievement. Gaara was a good Kage. At first, he'd been doubtful, but now he knew he had a wonderful successor.

"What, not even a hateful, disparaging comment towards me?" asked Kankurō sarcastically, stepping back from the dome. "You're off your game, Fourth. You haven't even attacked me yet. Have you been instructed to not fight anyone?"

"I've been instructed to defend Hyūga against any and all intruders, but I know that specifically, they meant you," sighed the Fourth. "You've walked into a trap, Kankurō. You and your little friends. They're all probably dead by now. You've put yourself in danger."

"I know I have," said Kankurō with a sigh. "I'm not stupid. I'm aware it was too easy for me to get here. I should've had problems. But there were no complications, besides the million and one stairs I had to climb to get here. There was no one to stop me. But even though every sign pointed to trap, I didn't, and still don't, care. I came to get Hinata away from you fuckers, and I'm going to get Hinata away from you." Kankurō slid off his scrolls with his right hand and brought his left to his abdomen, scratching it through the fabric.

In that same moment, wooden arms wrapped around the Fourth's body, tightening around him. The Fourth was surprised to see Kankurō avoid getting his puppet caught by the third-eye. It followed everything unusual… so why didn't it… "The eye can only follow one subject at a time," said Kankurō, "It doesn't work like a Byakugan. Since I drew the most attention by acting out-of-ordinary in your eyes, subconsciously, it ignored the fact that the puppet was even here. It was all too easy."

"I hope you're not boasting."

"Of course not, Fourth. I'm still not an idiot. I'm just waiting for you to get serious and fight me like you mean it. Otherwise, this won't be very gratifying for me—to fight you. You at least owe me that much."

Did the Fourth really want to fight Kankurō? No. But did he really have a choice? Also no. He was here to take Hinata out of his protection, which made him a threat. He had to fight him, whether or not he wanted to was of no consequence. He sighed, releasing the third eye jutsu in order to have extra gold dust. He manipulated the dust, bringing it down to him and feeding it through the joints of Crow, making them unlock and release him. He couldn't remember the amount of times he'd fought with the child Sasori against these puppets. It was an infinite amount. He knew these puppets as well as Kankurō knew his jutsu.

"Fine, Kankurō," said the Kazekage as Kankurō pulled his puppet back, placing him off to the side. "I'll be serious."

Kankurō nodded. "Good. Very good."

* * *

Shizuka found himself catching up with Kakashi and Shisui in what felt like no time at all. He realized that the sword had given him an overabundance of chakra and energy to expend, so he used that to push himself faster, knowing he had to get to Shikaru at all costs. He had been surprised to see Kakashi's silver hair in front of him, and even further surprised to see Kakashi turn around and stare at him.

"Why are you here?" he sighed.

"I need to help," responded Shizuka instantly, moving forwards so that they were side by side. "I need to bring Shikaru back to Konoha. It's my fault he left, anyways."

"It's not," said Shisui with a sigh. "It's not something you can control."

"Regardless, I'm obligated," said Shizuka, shaking his head. "Shikaru's like my family. I owe it to him to bring him back home, even if he's kicking and screaming. Even if I have to break his arms and legs in order to bring him back, I'll do it." Kakashi stared at him for a millisecond, seeing more and more of Naruto in him by the second. Was it a curse with their line of student-teachers to have friendships like these? These sick devotions to one another? Horrible, biting, angry, and destructive devotion, almost brotherly in nature? _I had one, Jiraiya had one, Naruto had one, and I'm almost sure Minato-sensei had one… now these two are forced to have one? _

"What if he doesn't want to come home?" asked Kakashi, "What if he's so far gone that he doesn't want to come back?"

Shizuka smirked. "He won't be. Shikaru's been through stuff like this, I believe, and he'll bounce back from this." Naïve hope. That was all Kakashi heard, naïve hope. He wanted him to come home, but there was no way he could make sure of it. "Besides… if he doesn't come back, then I'll just go with him." Kakashi blinked. _What? _"Shikaru shouldn't have to go through what he has alone anymore. I'll go with him, even if it's into the dark. I'll go with him even if he screams at me or hurts me. Because he needs someone who'll be there to punch him in the face and remind him that he's only human. To remind him that mistakes are always made, and to remind him that just because they're made does not mean that he's the worst person in existence."

* * *

Obito looked up at the sky, noticing its growing darkness. He smirked up at the moon, feeling more excited than he had in a long time. Pressing a button, he raised his wrist to his lips.

"Begin," he simply said to every shinobi he had on communications.

The plan was now being put into action.

The gears were turning.

The dream would soon be cast.

And the world would be perfect once more.

_Rin_, thought Obito, allowing his eyes to slide closed.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Of Comrades

**Okay, first of all: I'm aware that I've made you guys wait a really freaking long time. It's because I had a lot of stuff to do this past week, and besides that, THIS CHAPTER IS REALLY LONG! I had a lot to write. So, yeah. Not proud of it, but it is what it is and I hope you stick with it. No major characters are dying, but be aware that someone IS. Not saying who. He's a side character for this, and I felt bad, but I had to. **

**TheGirlWithNoIQ****: It really wasn't, I wish I could say it was, thought! :P You really hate Obito, huh? Not intentional... ****McKazekage****: You speak the truth, man! Hehe. I was hoping I made a good Shikamaru moment, didn't know I succeeded! YES! xP**

**ON WITH THE FIC! **

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO. I OWN THE FIC. **

Shikaru had seen many terrifying sights in his short span of life, most of which had been at his own hands. It always scared him to see such chaos, such violence, such horror. He hated seeing people hurt. Oxymoronic, he knew, but it was true. He never wanted to see someone hurt, and it always hurt his own heart to see such a sight, despite what mood he was in or whether or not they had deserved it.

Even now, when his heart was already filled with much pain, his heart hurt even more.

Shikaru looked down at the large orange-haired male at his feet, analyzing each and every injury slowly. It looked as if some thing large had drilled through his midsection about two or three times, and the result of that had been that his guts were ripped to shit and blood covered his clothing and the grass around him. His upper half and his bottom half seemed to be hanging onto each other with all their might, but he knew that if someone were to lift or even touch him the wrong way he'd rip right in half.

"Jūgo-san?" whispered Shikaru, slightly shaken by such a sight. It wasn't that he hadn't seen something like this before—he just had, about an hour or so ago—but he hadn't seen it done repetitively before. Someone intended for him to suffer before he died. Shikaru knelt down, unable to shake the sick need to poke Jūgo lightly in his wound and have the blood cover his finger tip. Jūgo groaned softly, and Shikaru yanked his hand back as if he'd been burnt, chastising himself for being weak for a moment. _Why can't Obito's desires disappear when he goes away? Hell, why can't he go away? _"Jūgo-san, do you hear me?"

"Ki…" moaned out Jūgo, his eyelids squeezing tightly together, as if the light had gotten past the closed lids. "Ba…" Shikaru's brow furrowed in confusion. "Get…. Ki… ba… my… f… aul…t…" Jūgo then drifted off into a sleep that Shikaru knew had to be painful, considering the wounds Jūgo had. Shikaru ghosted his hands over the wound, feeling such sympathy for Jūgo. Jūgo was dying. The jutsu he had used for Hanabi wouldn't work on him. It'd actually end up killing the both of them before it did any work. But, to make matters worse, Shikaru knew that Jūgo was not going to live very long. He'd lost way too much blood. It was so much worse than what he'd done to Shizuka. Shikaru hung his head, feeling more guilt. Why had he hesitated for that brief second? If he'd been earlier…! Shikaru tipped his head back, looking up at the sky and gripping his pants tightly, fisting his hands. All he could do was wish Jūgo a safe passage into heaven. That was all he could hope for.

Shikaru pulled off the thick cloak he didn't remember getting and slipped it on top of Jūgo, wanting him to at least go out in warmth. Whispering a small prayer, he left Jūgo's side, trying to figure out what he'd been trying to tell him. A small whimper attracted his attention. Turning quickly, his eyes widened upon realizing that Jūgo had been saying 'Kiba'. Kiba sat awkwardly on his hipbone, using all his strength to seemingly reset Akamaru's bones. Shikaru was surprised he hadn't noticed them, but he immediately figured all his attentions must've been taken by the sight of such a harmed Jūgo.

"Kiba-san! Akamaru-san!" Shikaru yelped, running over to them and kneeling down, putting his hand atop Akamaru's scruff. Akamaru looked weakly up at the boy. Shikaru could see the distrust and fear in Akamaru's expression, but he knew that the dog knew that it wasn't Senju Obito with him right now.

"About time somebody got here," grumbled Kiba, wincing in pain when Shikaru brushed his hand on Kiba's leg. Shikaru yanked his hand away, staring down at his legs. Kiba let go of Akamaru, using his hands and elbow to move himself away from Akamaru with as little pain as he could spare. Shikaru automatically grabbed Kiba's right ankle, pulling the sweatpants out of their bandages and ignoring Kiba's yelp of pain, pushing the pants up Kiba's leg. Shikaru winced upon the sight: his leg looked like it'd been crushed by a boulder.

"Is it both?" asked Shikaru softly, looking up at Kiba. Kiba nodded, biting his lip in pain. Shikaru nodded, putting Kiba's ankle underneath his armpit and gripping it tightly under his grip. Kiba put his hand in his mouth, nodding at Shikaru to continue. Both shinobi knew what was going to happen, and both knew how bad it would be. Shikaru wasted no time, bracing his hand on Kiba's knee and giving it a tug. Kiba bit hard into his hand, drawing blood. Akamaru barked weakly, concerned about his master.

Shikaru softly placed Kiba's slightly repaired leg down on his knee, grabbing him by the heel and the calf and forcibly turning his foot, popping his ankle back into place. Kiba still didn't remove his hand from his mouth, and for that Shikaru was thankful. If it weren't forcibly stuck to his teeth, Shikaru was sure that he'd be throttling him. Shikaru swapped legs, going back to his first position and repeating the step. Kiba refused to let go of his own hand until the very end, blood staining his chin, teeth, and lip.

When Shikaru did finish with the bone resetting, he released his hand with a gasp, wiping his blood off onto his black jacket. "Thank you," he said gruffly to Shikaru.

"Do you want me to do the same with Akamaru?" asked Shikaru, looking at the dog.

"I think I've gotten it all. At least, I've gotten as much as he'll allow," said Kiba with a chuckle before his smile slipped off of his lips, looking down at his still cut up and bloody legs. "How's Jūgo?" he asked softly.

Shikaru swallowed, his eyes suddenly drying up. "I can't help him," he said, looking down at his knees. "He's lost too much blood." Shikaru looked back at Kiba, who was swallowing back tears of his own. None of the parties present knew Jūgo incredibly well, but what they knew of him, he was incredibly loyal. All he wanted was to be accepted. That was all. And now… now he was dying. Tears finally made their way down Shikaru's cheeks, dripping onto the back of his hands.

"Madara's taken over Sasuke's body," said Kiba, making Shikaru look up at him with a teary face, confused. "Jūgo got Sasuke out of there. He didn't know that the seal had been finished, didn't know that the person who would wake up wouldn't be Sasuke." Kiba shuddered. "Madara had no mercy. He attacked viciously. Jūgo did his best to protect Akamaru and I. All we came out with was some broken legs." Kiba gritted his teeth now. "All we got were some fucking broken legs, and what Jūgo got was death." Kiba's anger grew with his tears. "I swear, I want to… I want to kill Madara. I want to rip him to shreds. Jūgo gave his life to protect us, people he barely knew. I want to avenge him!"

Shikaru swallowed, Kiba's anger becoming his own. Every frustration was bubbling to the surface, every little piece of anger he'd ever felt. It was almost unbearable. He almost wanted to beg Obito to take over the reigns. _No, _thought Shikaru, pushing himself to his feet, _this is something, as a Leaf, I have to do…_ Shikaru went into his pants pocket, pulling out a few loose soldier pills he had left. He handed them off to Kiba, surprising him. "Kiba," said Shikaru, "I need your headband."

Kiba nodded and untied the hitai-ate, giving it to the younger boy. With surprisingly steady fingers, Shikaru pulled the headband up to his forehead, tying the sweaty strip of fabric around his head. "I'm going to represent you," said Shikaru softly, letting his hands drop from the ends of the tie, "I'm going to represent you, Akamaru and Jūgo. I'm going to go in there and I'm going to defeat Madara for you."

"Shikaru, don't be stupid!" barked Kiba through his tears, "You're going to get yourself killed!"

"That wouldn't the worst thing," he said with a bitter smile, wiping at his cheeks. In Shikaru's mind, it truly wouldn't be. He wanted to go out known for trying to do a little bit of good rather than the bad he'd spent most of his life dispensing. For the first time, Shizuka's mentions of heroism actually made sense. Though it wouldn't make up for anything he'd done, he was intent on going out doing something good. "I will try to get your headband back to you, Kiba," he said before turning around, running full-tilt for the hideout.

"Dumbass," gasped Kiba, staring at his receding back. Akamaru whimpered under his breath. _I hope he doesn't die, _Akamaru told him, pawing at the ground with his still-pained paws. Kiba sighed, looking down at his legs. He knew they were too painful for him to even think about standing. "I do, too, Akamaru," whispered Kiba, biting his lip. He wanted to respond once more, but a roar ripped through the air, terrifying him slightly. His blood went cold, fearful for what it might be.

Akamaru whined, terrified. _I'm scared. _

"I know. I am, too," said Kiba, "Especially since my gut is telling me what I don't want to believe—for my own sakes." He shivered. If he was right—and he really didn't want to be—then they had done it. They'd really done it. They'd really awakened the beast. His mind went to his comrades. _If they were unsuccessful… does that mean…_ "Don't think like that, Akamaru," he chastised quickly, thinking the exactly same thing as his dog. "They wouldn't die so easily. Shikamaru's way too smart for that. And so is Neji. They must've just run into a complication…" He drifted off as the next scream sounded throughout the air. He slid his eyes closed, thinking through any strategies that came to mind.

There was only one that made sense. Get help.

But how?

His eyes lit up as he went into his pocket, pulling out Kankurō's abandoned communications earpiece. He shoved into his ear. "I'll be damned if I we go out without making a stand first," he grumbled, pressing his finger against the small button. "This is Inuzuka Kiba to whoever's listening. I don't want to hear any arguments or complaints; I just want you to listen to me. We've got trouble, and we need help. Here's the situation…"

* * *

"Kazekage-sama!" Gaara's head snapped up from his and Shino's plans that lay scattered on his desk, confused as to why his title was being called. A smallish underling burst through the door, seemingly out of breath, holding a piece of paper in his tight grip. The boy's bright blue eyes found Gaara quickly and scurried over to him, wasting no time in thrusting the paper into Gaara's face. Gaara blinked and moved his head back, slightly out of his comfort zone with the paper's proximity to his face. "Kazekage-sama, Baki-sama implores that you read this immediately! It has to do with the five-man team sent to find the three missing nin of Konohagakure!"

Gaara frowned and took the paper from him, slightly worried about the rush that the boy had apparently been under, reading it as soon as he orientated it correctly for his perusal. Quickly, Gaara's face contorted with shock, which then almost as swiftly turned into anger. His grip tightened on the paper, wrinkling it under his grasp. His sand poured out of his gourd quickly, flying around his head. The underling made a squeaking sound and ran in the opposite direction, fearful for his life. Shino hardly bat an eye, untouched by Gaara's anger.

"What does it say?" he asked, mostly thinking about the positions of those female bugs he had on his comrades.

"We need to get to them as quickly as possible with as many reinforcements as possible," said Gaara, "And we need to get there as quickly as possible. Think through that while I go to get sealers." Gaara turned to leave, the paper now thoroughly crumpled.

"Sealers? For what?" asked Shino, standing up.

Gaara didn't turn around. "For the beasts."

Shino fell back into his seat, confused by Gaara's words. He couldn't believe they'd actually managed it. He couldn't believe that they managed to reawaken the Jūbi. _Kiba… _he thought, his hand forming into a fist. He wasn't sure if he was okay, and that was worrying him deeply. Kiba was more than his best friend; he was family. He'd be damned if he let Kiba get harmed, or worse killed, without putting up a fight about it. He'd be damned if he let the whole world get sucked into an eternal genjutsu without doing his hardest to prevent it. Shino rubbed his hands, building up unnecessary heat, much to the distaste of his live-ins. He had a few tricks up his sleeve, quite possibly dangerous actually, but at this point… he was more than willing to try.

He stood up, full of intention. He had to go find Gaara and discuss his plan with him. He had to discuss every detail of what he'd thought out, and then he would have to make sure it was executed down to the t. He didn't care that it would risk his own life now. All that mattered now was preserving his world and the people in it.

That was all he cared about.

"You," he barked, pointing at a little Genin girl who'd been walking near him. "Go find your Kazekage, now. Don't question me, just do it." The danger that seemed to be laced in Shino's voice was the thing that got the Genin to do what he said, fearful of what'd he do to her if she didn't do what he said.

* * *

As a child, Kankurō deeply resented fighting. With his whole body and soul, he had hated the prospect of injuring another for sport, for money. He had hated that to protect someone, you needed to be willing to fight in the type of world he resided in. He wondered if things could even be reached by diplomacy alone sometimes. It seems everything needed a battle, or a fight, or a war; just to get things settled. People needed to be subjected to brute strength and power in order to be terrified enough to stop fighting. Kankurō couldn't understand why. He had wanted diplomacy. He had wanted peacefulness.

He didn't understand why fighting was necessary until his father had admitted out loud how much of a disgrace he thought his son was.

It wasn't sudden, really. It was a very slow, progressive realization of the fact that there was one absolute thing that fighting got that diplomacy just couldn't: respect. Respect is the thing that exerts power over someone; it displays its strength. Diplomacy is nothing more, in Kankurō's opinion, than a bunch of old men at a round table arguing endlessly until it was time for lunch, and then they kissed each other's ass in order to get favors. Diplomacy is not respect, it is whoring oneself out to get things. Fighting—and winning—is respect.

Of course, there was another thing that Kankurō realized about fighting—it is not just on the battlefield. Fights take place in the human psyche naturally. It is the human disposition to fight _something_, whether it is the rules or themselves. This was something he could relate to, something he could understand: he did not fit in the life he was given. He was constantly fighting it in order to stay in it. He was fighting to be accepted, fighting to be kept, fighting to be loved. He did get these things, eventually, but not by everyone he wanted to say it. He wanted his father to accept him. As silly as it seemed, the man did beat him very often; Kankurō had a part of him that still begged his father to look at him and offer just the slightest amount of respect. He wasn't asking for a lot, really, but enough for him to feel like all his fighting as so far was for _something _in the eyes of his father.

Whether they truly admit it or not, all children want to be accepted in the eyes of their parents. It is a human need we are all born with, all programmed with. Our parents are the first we want to please, the first we want praise from. When not given that, we feel like failures. We feel useless. Unloved. Hated. Angry. Angry at the world, as if it is someone else's fault that our parents can't love us like others do. We try to say that we don't need our parents, but we always do. We try to say we don't love our parents, but we of course we do. And, especially in the case of Kankurō, we try to say that we hate our parents and just want to see them fear you, but the truth of the matter is, we just want them to look at you with a little bit of respect in their eyes. As a child who had never gotten an "I'm proud of you" that he could remember, he just wanted one, not even a verbal one. He really just wanted that. And, if he had to fight to get it, he would. In a heartbeat.

Like he was right now.

"You keep getting up," said the Fourth as Kankurō got to his feet, blood dripping down his chin. Kankurō was battered and bruised, his puppets nearly all scattered in pieces all around him. Nothing had worked, absolutely nothing. He wanted to put it down to the fact that Sasori had developed his entire arsenal and his father used to help Sasori with beta-testing, or at least that was what he understood from Granny Chiyo. But he couldn't. No, it felt like he got a bigger advantage from something. After all, Scorpion was not a puppet his father had every fought against; it was Sasori's modified body. How could his father know how to beat him? It didn't make sense.

Kankurō spit blood out the side of his mouth. "No point in laying there and crying over my toys," he said, pushing up his sleeves.

"You've lost your weapons, Kankurō," said the Fourth condescendingly, making the back of Kankurō's hand almost feel searing. "Can't you take anything seriously? Can't you even try to win? At least make this a challenge for me; honestly."

"Ah, there's that biting edge I've missed so dearly," said Kankurō with a fake smile. "Glad to see you're back, Otousan." He connected his chakra to Crow, bringing his oldest and most favored puppet back to life. He left one puppet sealed, unwilling to use it. He'd only used it because he had been incredibly pissed that someone even _thought _about harming his friend. It wasn't his, and therefore he believed he didn't deserve to use it. He wanted to use everything that was his.

He rushed Crow forwards while moving back, predicting the movements of his father's golden dust, doing well enough to avoid the gold even brushing against him. Those countless hours of watching his father had definitely paid off. No one else realized, really, how predictable he was. His father and Gaara both used practically the same patterns of attack for absolutely every situation.

Of course, in the Fourth's eyes, the same thing could be same about Kankurō. As long as the Fourth has known him, as long as he has been trailing him, he noticed that he always pulled back as far as he could when moving the puppets forwards. He wanted to distance himself. He didn't want to be up close might disaster strike. He also had a particularly bad habit of not turning around when fighting, which is bad when someone who can control golden dust and basically make it into a coffin is the one you are fighting. Kankurō might think he knew his patterns, but the Fourth knew what he was doing. He did, after all, only show the basics ever to Gaara. What his son did with them was completely different and unimportant to him.

The Fourth moved, unwilling to be touched by the puppet. Kankurō raised an eyebrow, but continued his puppet forwards. He turned his visual to the golden dome, knowing that was his target. He needed to get to her. She was waiting for him in there, doing God knows what. She needed him. He needed to get to her. He needed to save her before anything went wrong, irreparably wrong. Before she might start the dream… a shimmer of something reflected in the back of his eye, catching his attention. His eyes widened upon realization that his father had been bringing the gold up behind him every time he missed. He had enough to crush him in its grasp. Memories of the heated gold hitting his hand came to mind, and he rushed forwards now, turning around so he could watch the gold. He continued to move Crow, surprising the Fourth with its seamless movement and stability. Kankurō knew exactly what he was doing. He didn't need his eyes to see it, apparently. He knew his puppets inside and out, and he knew their limits so well.

_He must've been calculating the size of the room as well, when he came in here, _the Fourth thought, trying to drag his own attentions away from his gold, but he wasn't like Gaara. The gold didn't just _react_. The Fourth needed to think about it, to watch it, and to estimate from there. He was nothing like Kankurō, who possibly had better mastery over his puppets than Sasori had.

Kankurō was a challenge. Kankurō was… strong. That was all the Kazekage could see. His son had faith in these mechanisms; he had faith in their abilities. He used them like he used his arms and his legs. They were extensions of him, extensions of his will. Therefore, he didn't need to watch them. And, since this technique was not high-chakra nor was it requiring any extraneous attention and detailing, he could do a number of other things other than control his puppet.

What he needed was to break all concentration. He knew Kankurō was not only focused on him, but a number of things. Things he could use on him, to his advantage. As much as he wanted to let Kankurō take him out, he couldn't. It was going against the 'program' that bespectacled snake freak had given him. It was to defeat Kankurō. So the Fourth thought in terms of Kankurō's defeat right now, although he did not want to. He wanted his son to win, but he just couldn't let it happen.

The Fourth sped up the speed of the gold, making it fly past Kankurō. That odd movement would distract anyone else, but Kankurō didn't bat an eye. He simply added it to his growing list of things to pay attention to, which were currently:

1) His father

2) His father's gold

3) Hinata's condition

4) His puppet

5) His distance from the puppet

6) His distance from the dust

7) His distance from the dome

8) The person he figured must be in the dome with Hinata

9) Whatever was going on inside the dome

…Shit, he had a lot to pay attention to. He did not, however, let this growing list become a hindrance. He paid all immediate problems the appropriate amount of attention while plotting out his next moves, all the while not thinking enough of one key thing, one thing that could make or break his next move: Whatever was affected by anything inside the dome, inside or out. He should've thought about it, but he honestly couldn't. Too many things to think about, so little time to think about them.

A roar rippled through the air, one that Kankurō just wasn't expecting. He stumbled forwards, tripping up. His sense of self-preservation kicked in and told him to look for the source of the scream without his mind kicking back into high gear and telling him what he really should be doing, which was watching the gold dust rushing back at him. It wrapped around his leg, tightening around it. Kankurō looked down and cursed, noticing his mistake and also noting how late it was for him to think about it.

His father crushed his leg. He didn't know if he screamed out loud or in his head, but it sounded real, and it sounded loud. He dropped like a rock as soon as the dust released him, not having the mental processes enough to think about even crying. He wanted to hold his leg, but he knew it would only cause him more pain. He finally understood what Rock Lee had felt when Gaara had crushed his arm and leg. This was… _agonizing. _

And, just like that, most of the fight he had left was gone.

* * *

Shikamaru turned at the sound of a blood-curdling scream of pain, unsure of what to make of it. It sounded like the same scream Lee had made when Gaara crushed his leg! It worried him them to hear the scream, and it was worrying him now. Who could be in that much pain that they sounded like that? Who could be causing that much pain on a person and call themselves something honorable like shinobi? A shinobi, in Shikamaru's terms, was someone who wanted to protect more than to harm. Shinobi don't make shinobi suffer like this, unless under interrogations. The side Shikamaru was fighting didn't seem the type for interrogations of any sort, so this was obviously just for someone's sick enjoyment. But whose?

"Isn't that Kankurō?" whispered Neji, turning his head. Shikamaru blinked—could it be? No, no, Kankurō wouldn't allow an opposition to get the drop on him like that… unless… well, maybe he was distracted. Wouldn't any normal person fighting their father be (and that was all Shikamaru was hoping Kankurō had been doing—the idea of him still being faint was slightly troubling and almost humorous) slightly distracted at some point?

"Should we go to help?" asked Shikamaru, turning back to Neji.

Neji frowned. "I don't like him very much, but I understand him to be a proud sort of man. From what I understand about his background, it's one full of pain, caused by his father. If that's Kankurō, and if that's his father he's fighting, then I think he wouldn't want us interfering. He'd want us to stay out, despite how much pain he was in." Neji turned slightly, looking down the hall. "We need to investigate that roar. It's how we'll help Kankurō. We find whatever it was, what type of creature, roared like that. Whatever it is, it's got a high amount of chakra. I bet you we'll find Naruto there as well."

Suigetsu stared back at the pair of them, who had stopped when the second scream had rippled the air almost a minute after the roar. "We need to get moving," he said, antsy. He could feel the high levels of unabridged and powerful dark chakra being emitted from down the long hallway. He, who thought well of all things dark, was actually shaking in his shoes from the feeling, as if it were as dangerous and evil as he felt Orochimaru to be. He didn't want to go near it, but the chakra was drawing him. He wanted to know what it was, this thing that was stronger than him. "Whatever we do, we need to go fast before I chuck."

Neji blinked. "Ah, yes," he said, nodding, "Of course." Suigetsu could see that while he was trying to hide it, the sounds and the chakra was shaking him. Neji wasn't coping as well as he usually did. He wasn't remaining as calm, as collected. He also wasn't being as much of an asshole as well, which was actually worrying Suigetsu a little. Suigetsu, in the short time he'd known him, was coming to enjoy their little spats.

Neji couldn't focus enough to even think about having something to say. He was worrying about Hinata, worrying about Naruto, worrying about Hiashi, worrying about Hanabi, worrying about Tenten, worrying about Shikamaru, about Kakashi, about Gai, about Lee… everyone he cared about, even Sasuke. This chakra was a threat. An absolute threat. And he was not thinking about the source of the roar—easily identifiable by the brutish, bright red color that was obviously that of a tailed beast, specifically that of the Kyūbi. It was familiar to him due to the battle he had with Naruto all those years ago, at the Chūnin exams. He knew that they were getting started with the Jūbi, and Neji could see it was basically in its infancy.

So the Jūbi, though strong and dangerous, was not threatening to Neji. What was threatening to Neji was the second chakra that he could see, a murky purple-red that seemed to burn at the air. Neji could see plainly that this was an old soul, a dangerous old soul. The chakra signature was nothing he had ever seen before in his entire life, but he could identify it slightly. It seemed to be a little bit like… Sasuke's? But no, that couldn't be possible, could it? Why would Sasuke be a threat to him, or more aptly, why would Sasuke feel like a threat to him at this time? He would admit that Sasuke was strong, nearly as strong as Naruto. But Sasuke was a comrade now, once again. He was not a threat. So what was this? What was this fresh new hellish type of evil that was petrifying him?

He didn't need to think about it, he figured out. He was already given the answer. Madara. It was Madara. Madara was sealed in Sasuke. He'd believed Jūgo had gotten him out before the seal was completed, but obviously, he was wrong. Obviously, Madara was in Sasuke, and obviously, Madara had autonomy. So this left him knowing something that the other two didn't know, something he knew that it would have a high probability of coming to. He was preparing himself for it. It was just a matter of when.

'When', he realized, was when a plume of fire came rushing towards them. If Neji hadn't seen it, they all would've been torched. Neji grabbed onto Suigetsu's cloak and yanked him down, doing the same with the leg of Shikamaru's pants once Shikamaru caught up with them. Both yelled out in complaint until the fire rushed over their heads, singing the tips of Suigetsu and Neji's hair.

"Those Hyūga eyes are wondrous," came the voice of Sasuke, chilling Neji's spine, "To be able to have avoided that in such tight quarters… amazing." Neji looked up, breathing heavy from the adrenaline rush. There stood Sasuke, hands crossed over his chest with that condescending smirk on his face. It looked like Sasuke, but Neji could tell it wasn't. No, this was too sinister for Sasuke. This was Madara. Neji got to his feet slowly, not taking his eyes off of him, not trusting his Byakugan alone. "You're here for Uzumaki Naruto, correct, Hyūga?" Neji nodded slowly. Madara chuckled. "So then you are here to destroy my hard work and planning?" The light smirk of condescension and amusement slipped off. "You three must be morons to think you could walk into this place and think you may leave alive. You shall die."

"Shikamaru, Suigetsu," he muttered, "Leave."

They turned to him, confused. "What the hell did you just say?" asked Shikamaru, insulted. "This is no time for you to get an ego trip, Neji!"

"I ain't running," said Suigetsu angrily, getting to his feet.

"It's not an ego trip; it's common sense," growled Neji. "It's very simple. He has the Sharingan. Therefore, most of your attacks, Suigetsu, he can evaluate and expect. Name for me one instance where you have ever bettered Sasuke in any sort of battle." Suigetsu stared at him, surprised that Neji would even know that much. "The same goes for Shikamaru, expect that all he has to do really is bide his time, since your shadow manipulation techniques use up a large percentage of your chakra. Besides, you were in the same year as Sasuke. There is a high chance he has gone through Sasuke's memories and has seen your techniques already and estimated what he could do as a counter." The thought now crossed Shikamaru's mind. Why had he never thought about it? Well, because nobody ever seemed to remember his capabilities, even if they were in his year at the Academy. But what Neji said made sense: Sasuke was an Uchiha. The Uchiha have a fantastic memory and tactical mind, nowhere close to the Nara mind but more than sufficient for the average shinobi. "Whereas with myself, my clan does not use a predictable set of techniques, nor are they easily avoidable, even with the Sharingan. In addition, the techniques we use are purely kekkei genkai. Meaning, even if he wants to copy the Gentle Fist from me, he can't."

Suigetsu opened his mouth to argue, but Shikamaru held his hand up. Surprised, he looked over at the pineapple-headed male only to see his usual confidence shattered. He looked positively pissed and fierce, shaking with the amount of pure adrenaline that ran through his veins. "You'll die," he said simply to Neji, unable to keep emotion out of his voice. It was not a question. It was a truth.

"Yes, probably."

"Then let us help you."

"I don't want you to die with me." Neji took a step forwards, getting in front of the two of them. "That would be pointless, wouldn't it, if the three of us died without saving Naruto?" Neji turned slightly to Suigetsu. "I suggest you look for Jūgo, if you have all this time to worry about me." Suigetsu blinked—he hadn't thought about Jūgo in the least. But where was he, if he was going after Sasuke… but Sasuke was here? Suigetsu looked at Neji, frown deeply set.

"Don't be a martyr, idiot," said Suigetsu.

"And don't be an idiot, moron!" growled Neji, "This isn't an argument!" Neji pulled shuriken out of his thigh holster, throwing them down the hallway at Sasuke, making his first move. "Get the hell out of here, or else it'll be worse!"

"But…" began Suigetsu before he was interrupted by Shikamaru's hand slamming down on his mouth.

"Don't you dare die," said Shikamaru in a shaky voice. "I want you to see your cousin when we save her, goddammit. I want to go out for drinks with our entire group and celebrate and watch Kiba get drunk off of his ass. Don't you even dare to think about dying on us. You kick his ass and you come and find us." Shikamaru grabbed Suigetsu's arm and pulled him away from Neji and Madara, having them run in the opposite direction. He was slightly surprised to notice that Madara allowed this easily, but not enough to stop and revel in the fact. He had to move. He had to leave.

"Why're you listening to him?! He needs help!" Suigetsu screamed at him as they got further and further away. "If Jūgo was taken out by him… then Neji's going to be demolished!"

"We're of no use!" responded Shikamaru as he kept moving. "We can't help him win! We'll get in the way! This is Neji's way of saving our damn lives, Suigetsu! As much as I hate it, too, Neji is trying to help in the only way he can, which means sacrificing himself!" Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at Suigetsu, who scowled. "Out of the three of us, Neji is the only one who could hold Madara off sufficiently enough and help us to achieve the mission target! We need to respect his wishes and continue on with the mission!"

"Do you even care about him?!" Suigetsu barked at him.

"Fuck you!" snapped Shikamaru, now fully pissed. They had gotten far enough away, in Shikamaru's opinion, to stop now, and so he did, causing Suigetsu to bump into him and nearly fall. Shikamaru grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, nearly ripping the fabric. "Of course I care; he is one of my closest friends, and he is my comrade in ANBU. My squad is led by him. I'm his second-in-command. To make things worse, Hinata—the girl we're saving—is not only his cousin, but she's also our ANBU squad comrade. We both care deeply about her and we both want to see her safe. They're like my family now. I want to help him, but all I'll do is get killed, you dumbass!" He pushed him away, unable to think clearly with the anger he felt. "I know you want to help Neji too, but honestly. Do you really think you could easily bring harm to Sasuke? Because that's who that is, even if it's Madara controlling him. It's Sasuke. He's not dead. He's asleep. But I'll bet you he'll feel the pain!" He pushed Suigetsu away, his breathing heavy. He closed his eyes and attempted to calm down, taking deep, deliberately slow breaths. He needed to focus. He needed to get his mind off of his friend. Naruto. Yes, that was whom he should think of. He should think of Naruto. He needed to focus on Naruto whom they had come this far in order to save. Naruto, one of the people Neji was willing to risk his life for.

"If I'm right, Madara is standing in Neji's way to get to Naruto," said Shikamaru slowly. "Where was he standing in front of, Suigetsu?"

"Ah? Um… he's standing in front of the main room. The one with the creepy statue in it. That's where they've been putting the beast chakras in for months now," said Suigetsu, not completely focused. He was thinking through Shikamaru's words, and now he completely understood it. Now he knew that there were just some things that had to be done. He needed to respect them and move forwards…

"How many different ways are there for us to get there without walking upon Neji and Madara's fight?" asked Shikamaru.

"Many. All the hallways on this floor lead to that room in one way or another," said Suigetsu as he began to leave his thoughts, thinking through the different passageways they could take to get to Naruto, who had to be on the other side of Madara and Neji. It only made sense! Suigetsu pointed off to the side, determination hard set. "We go and get Naruto, and then we get Jūgo," he said confidently, not looking at Shikamaru as he began to run. They had to do this. They had to be strong. They had to start moving forwards now in order to keep that momentum.

This wasn't for Naruto, or for Sasuke, or Hinata anymore.

This was for Neji.

* * *

Shizuka pressed his fingers against the orange-haired man's neck, swallowing heavily with apprehension and nervousness. He didn't want to find out he was dead, but at the same time he wasn't quite sure what he could possibly do if he were alive. Shizuka was definitely surprised to feel the dull, almost too-light heartbeat still going weakly, surprised enough to yelp and yank his hand back as if he'd been burnt. His surprise was shortly lived as his sense as a medic kicked in, telling him to save this man's life despite any and all costs.

"K-Kakashi! Uchiha-sama!" he called, not moving out of his crouch, "This man… he's still alive!" Shizuka let his sword drop out of his hand and onto the ground, scrambling over to the man's wound. He yanked off his headband and used it to clean up some of the dirt that seemed to be getting into his wounds. Shizuka's hands were quickly coated with blood, and he knew that he was making things worse far faster than he could make things better. He wanted to move Jūgo to a better spot, possibly one with grass on it, but he would just have to make do for what he had, which was dust and hard rock.

Kakashi came to him, carrying the heavy Akamaru over his shoulder while Shisui acted as a support for Kiba, who could walk but not without stumbling or wincing. Kakashi looked down at Shizuka, who was almost hysterically cleaning Jūgo's wounds. All he could see was that if he wasn't dead yet, he would be soon. Very soon. Kakashi placed Akamaru gently down besides Shizuka and crouched down on the young boy's other side. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning him up," said Shizuka with hope laced through his features. "If you're going to stand here, please press your hands against his stomach area. I need pressure." Kakashi didn't twitch. He didn't see the point in dragging out Jūgo's death, which would be all Shizuka could possibly do at this point. He didn't want his suffering to be extended any. And he didn't want Shizuka to live with the guilt of being unable to save someone he really wanted to save at such a tender age.

Shizuka noticed Kakashi's lack of reaction and looked up at the gray-haired man, blinking. "K-Kakashi-san, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Shizuka, stop," he said softly to him, putting his hand on Shizuka's shoulder. Shizuka gaped at him, confused.

"But… he's…"

"There's nothing you can do for him," continued Kakashi, "He's dying, Shizuka. He's dying."

"Yeah, he's dying right now, but I can stop that!" said Shizuka, pulling out of Kakashi's grasp. "Please, help me! Help me save him!" Shizuka went into his back pouch, fumbling with the button as he pulled out medicinal salves and different sorts of pills. Though his need to save Jūgo was great, he did doubt himself—it was only natural, as both a human and a child—and it showed as he clumsily went through the bottles and tiny tubs, making sure to coat each one with Jūgo's blood.

"You're hysterical right now," said Kakashi, "And even if you could bring him back to even near life, you'll use up almost all your chakra, not to even mention you might be comatose. You know this, Shizuka. As a medical shinobi, you know this. You have your limitations." Shizuka looked up at him, brow furrowed. He was almost unheard by him, Kakashi could tell that much. Shizuka had his mind set. He took a deep breath. "The sword can't just save you again."

Shizuka's eyes widened, and he stopped looking through the containers. Shizuka suddenly thought back to when he'd joined Kakashi's group—how unsurprised Kakashi had been when he'd met up with them. Last time Kakashi had seen him, he had been dying. So why hadn't he been surprised to see him, so uninjured and so replenished? Now it didn't make as much sense to him.

"Hayate was one of my friends when I was younger. He, Genma, Asuma and I used to all be drinking buddies. Hayate told us once about the powers of the sword when he was drunk. I saw you holding the same sword on the rooftop. I figured you'd be saved. I really don't know any specifics about it," he answered smoothly, "But the fact remains is that there's got to be some sort of limit on the amount of times that it can save you. You can't just go around throwing your life away just because the sword does contain the ability to save you, because quite frankly it's obvious that it might not." Kakashi put his hand back onto Shizuka's shoulder. "Please, stop. You don't have the power to save him, at least not at the risk of your own life."

Shizuka shivered, biting his lip. He was afraid, so afraid. Kakashi knew the feeling very well. The battlefield changes children. It makes them grow up way too fast and probably not in good ways. Shizuka still lived by a hope that he could save people, and this would teach him that it was nearly impossible when most needed. Sad, but true. Life just wasn't fair, at all. Kakashi knew this best. It just wasn't fair. "But… I can't… I don't…" Shizuka bit his lip. "I can't just let him _die_!"

"Kakashi," said Shisui, interrupting his thoughts. "I'll deal with the body. Just get him out of here."

"Wha… no!" Shizuka pulled back out of his grasp, dropping the bottles and pressing his hands against Jūgo's wound, his hands enveloped in a green light. Kakashi grabbed Shizuka around his midsection, but he wouldn't budge. "Get off of me! I'm helping him! I'm helping him! _I'm helping him, you old fuck!_" All Kakashi could deduce that the events of his day—fighting with Shikaru, nearly getting killed saving Hanabi, being brought back to perfect help, running after Shikaru, and finally finding this injured, hurt man, acted to bring Shizuka to near hysterics. The events took their toll on Shizuka's mind, and honestly, Kakashi would've been shocked if they hadn't, if Shizuka had remained calm and collected.

"Shizuka, stop," whispered Kakashi as he pulled Shizuka's hands back forcibly, doing his best to ignore the boy's sobs. He knew Shizuka would never forgive him for this. He didn't want him to. He just wanted Hayate's memento safe. He picked up Shizuka, noticing his fighting but not showing any reaction to them. Shizuka screamed bloody murder in his ear, but Kakashi still refused to show any reaction. Kiba bit his lip as he looked at the kid, obviously feeling some sort of emotional pain for him. Shisui did his best to ignore him, crouching down besides Jūgo and putting his hand over Jūgo's mouth. Kakashi knew what he was doing. Kiba knew it as well. All sane parties present knew. But Shizuka just couldn't figure it out. He kept screaming. It was probably the most painful thing, really. No one wants to hear a child scream like he was.

There was a tap on Kakashi's shoulder that surprised him, making him drop Shizuka and pull out a kunai to press against the person's throat. His eyes widened in shock to see Aburame Shino behind him, hands in pockets, and a glare behind his sunglasses that Kakashi could feel. Kakashi pulled away, recovering from the surprise. "How did you…"

"It doesn't matter," said Shino coolly, shaking his head. "And we don't have much time for explaining useless information. Am I right, Kiba?" Kakashi understood what Shino was saying. Kiba had told him everything when they'd arrived. "What matters is that we stop the plan before any of it can happen. We're running out of time to do so, so all I can ask of you is to trust me. Do you trust me, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Of course, but how can only you help us?" asked Kakashi, confused.

"Yeah, I called for multiple reinforcements," seconded Kiba.

"We have a plan," responded Shino smoothly, "A plan you will soon figure out. Don't worry. It's under control." He looked around. "Where is Nara Shikaru, Kiba? You said he was here." Kakashi frowned. He'd forgotten about Shikaru completely.

"He ran off," said Kiba. "I think… I think he went to go find Madara and deal with him."

Shino nodded. "Fine, then. I'll leave him to it." Kakashi's frown deepened, which did not escape Shino's notice. "I don't know him very well, but from what I've seen he does have incredible abilities. If he thinks he can take on Madara after what I saw happen to you and Jūgo, Kiba, then… all I can do is trust him." Another roar resounded throughout the air. "Besides, from the sounds of things… we need all the advantages we can get."

"Do we have any others?" asked Shisui, feeling Jūgo begin to struggle slightly under his hand. He didn't want to do this, but he had no choice, at all. Jūgo would suffer a far worse passing if he didn't suffocate him. Shisui wondered to himself what he would be doing right now if he hadn't chosen to get involved in affairs of the world he'd left behind. _Probably wondering what my son is doing… _The thought of Shikaru was enough to make him carry on with what he was doing, even if it was suffocating a suffering man.

Shino's mouth twitched in the upwards direction. "But of course."

* * *

The Fourth Kazekage felt such pity for his son. Kankurō kept getting up, despite the fact that he had a completely compressed leg. His bone should be powdered by now, so standing should be an impossibility. So how was it that he could keep standing, how was it that he continued to wobble about and try to attack? Whatever the reason was, the Fourth just wanted it to stop. For Kankurō's sake, not for his own. He was not winning by injuring his son so horribly. He was not winning by seeing his son in such obvious pain.

"Just stay down already!" said the Fourth, not using his golden dust in order to slam his fist down upon Kankurō's cheek, making him drop again. He had been doing that repeatedly now, every time Kankurō found something to make him get up. Wasn't most of his fight gone by now? How could he even think about getting up? "Don't you know when to stop, Kankurō?"

Kankurō gave out a throaty chuckle. "G-Guess not," he rasped shakily. He began to force himself to his feet again only to get hit down again.

"Just stop already! Haven't you done enough? I can't just stop hitting you!" complained the Fourth.

"Guess not," he repeated, trying to push the Fourth away only to get kicked in the face. He flew back a few meters before he managed to catch himself by digging his fingertips into the rock with pure chakra before collapsing. The Fourth already knew what Kankurō's problem was at that moment. He didn't lack chakra, but what he lacked right now was stamina. He was so weakened right now that no amount of chakra in the world could help him win without sufficient stamina. But how could he get up? How could he keep getting up if he lacked the energy? Kankurō pushed himself to his knees, straightening out his upper body.

"You lack the same amount of fight! Without it, you'll die!"

"I don't care." He spat out blood onto the ground as he got up on shaky, damaged legs. "All I want… all I want right now is for Hinata to be proud of me." He pulled out a senbon from his back pouch. The Fourth wasn't sure what he could possibly do with it, what with the fact that he was so delirious he probably couldn't see straightly. "I want to see her proud of me for getting this far in a fight with you. I know I'm not going to win this." He smirked.

The Fourth understood his need, but he couldn't do anything about it. He growled as the gold dust rushed towards him, moving to encase him, and then crush him. He didn't want to do it, but he was being forced to. He'd been hoping that his son would be able to defeat him, but in this condition… there was just no way in hell, especially with Kabuto controlling him and forcing his hand. He had no choice. He had to kill him.

This was why instead of surprise and shock when sand encased Kankurō instead of his dust, he felt absolute relief. "Gaara," he sighed happily as a familiar shock of red hair walked out from behind the sand. Gaara brought his hands up and sent sand flying at the gold, pushing it back.

The sand around Kankurō fell, and as did Kankurō, straight into Gaara's waiting arms. He had the sand hiding all of his movements, so he didn't worry about his father. Instead, he focused on his beat-to-shit and stupid, selfish older brother. "Dammit, Kanky," he said affectionately, ripping at the cloth of his clothing and wiping at the drying blood that covered his swelling face.

Kankurō's eyes were bleary. "I told you not to come here, Gaar," he said weakly.

"Since when did you think I'd listen?" asked Gaara, tightening his grip on the back of Kankurō's head. "I care too much about you to just let you get you kicked around by our father, Kankurō. You should know that by now." His gaze went down to his leg, which was quivering and bleeding as he spoke. He automatically knew what had happened to him, and he bit his lip. "No, no, no… Kankurō, your leg…"

"I already lost all feeling in my foot. It's just some rock now," said Kankurō with a dull laugh in his voice. "And I think I've used up practically all the energy I could." He swirled his tongue around his mouth, checking for something. "In addition, I think I swallowed a tooth." Gaara couldn't help but chuckle. He was trying to be slightly amusing by mentioning such a little thing. "I think I need help, though, Gaara," he said seriously.

"Anything you need," answered Gaara quickly.

"Bring me… bring me Scorpion, Gaar," he said, "And then help me sit up." Gaara did exactly what he was told, using the sand to drag over the puppet that was an exact copy of the late Sasori, a distant relative of theirs and a member of the Akatsuki. He was slightly confused about what he was doing when Kankurō ripped off his own right sleeve and Gaara's headband, tying the headband as tightly as possible around his leg in the middle of his thigh and stuffed the sleeve into his mouth.

Gaara didn't understand until Kankurō ripped through his leg, right above the knee, with the kunai. He was amputating. He was sacrificing his leg! Gaara wanted to puke. He didn't want to see this. But he knew Kankurō didn't want this either. And, for that reason, he kept his grip on his brother. He refused to let go of him. He trusted his brother. Kankurō knew what he was doing. He trusted him.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Of Tears

**So, I just finished with the chapter only about a couple of minutes before putting it up here. Proud of that, especially since I think this is the shit. (YES, I REREAD IT MULTIPLE TIMES THIS TIME. I STILL THINK IT'S THE SHIT, EVEN IF I DIDN'T DO WHAT I HAD ORIGINALLY WANTED TO DO.) I think this story is going to start closing soon. I'll be sad to see it go, but proud I made it so far. :)**

**To ****Hanami San****: thank you for both of your reviews. Glad to see new people still like to come onto this thing and read it! Don't cry-they will be together (otherwise, I would've wasted a hell of a lot of my own time.) To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: I didn't realize people would be so against him losing his leg. I really don't know why I did that to be completely honest. It just sounded really cool. And about Juugo... I liked him, too. I really liked him. But there's a certain reaction I needed to stir in Shizuka for this story, so... it was necessary, sadly. :( But glad to know you are happy because Gaara popped back up! To ****McKazekage****: no, no, no Neji dying. I cried hard enough when I read that in the manga (I'm not apologizing for any more spoilers, BTW), and I can't bear to do that here. HE SHALL LIVE. **

**So, here's the next chapter. **

**Please enjoy. **

**Naruto still isn't mine, sadly. **

Shikaru had never thought of demons as something like a real, tangible, beast-like thing. He'd always considered demons to be something of a human design, not one of pure animalistic nature and horror. For instance, he considered himself a type of demon—it was the only way he could quantify his existence. He was the demon of the world. When he had learned that his sensei was the container of the Kyūbi, he hadn't thought anything of it. He didn't consider Naruto to be anything less than the man he was. He was a good man. Shikaru was the demon. He didn't see anything beyond that. He didn't look beyond Naruto's character to the underlying Kyūbi, he didn't see that swarm of pure hatred and evil that crouched under Naruto's surface, waiting to strike.

He also, therefore, didn't see its capability towards becoming something absolutely worse.

The Jūbi was disgusting in its form, bulbous and veined, slimy and disgusting. Shikaru was automatically revolted by the sight, though he knew to fear it. Its body seemed to stretch on for miles on end, almost endless to a regular person's eye. It clawed at the ground with its fingers, letting out a roar as it tried to fight. Shikaru could only assume that the creature was not currently being 'controlled', per say: rather, it was simply being guided to a point where control would be possible. He dared to step closer to it, uncertainly as the chakra-formed chains that stretched taut over its large body didn't seem to be holding it down very well. His suspicions were confirmed when it craned its neck and snapped out at him, causing him to stumble back a few steps.

"Naruto-sensei…" he whispered, looking at its one giant eye. He knew that his teacher was in there somewhere. He wanted to save him, but it… this… it was too much. He clenched his fist and bit his bottom lip, furrowing his brow. He needed to focus. He needed to find Madara; he needed to get to him. He backed away from the monstrosity, trying to get distance between himself and the beast. But he felt the need to say something—anything. Anything to the beast that was his teacher, his friend, his family. "Naruto-sensei, I know you're there," he finally found the voice to whisper, "Don't lose yourself." With that, he turned away from the roaring beast, running into a hallway blindly, intent on finding Madara.

* * *

_Don't lose yourself. _

Naruto stared up sightlessly, only seeing white upon white upon white. He was confused as to why he was there, as to why he was even alive. What was the point anymore, really? Why was his life any longer of any importance? He'd already failed. He'd become… something. He didn't know what, but it was something. Something terrible. His brow furrowed as he tried to remember what, but nothing came to mind. With an easy sigh, he gave up trying. What was the point really, of putting in effort, when he had no one? That's what the voices were telling him, anyways: that he was all alone. He had no one.

_Don't lose yourself. _

What was the source of that new voice? It was beginning to irritate Naruto with its weird optimism. It sounded like someone he knew, from a half-forgotten dream. It sounded weird, stark contrast to the sounds of the other voices. The voices telling him that he was weak, or worthless, good-for-nothing, a scumbag, an idiot, a failure—any of these voices were different to this, which was one of its kind and upon many of the other type. So why did it stand out to him? Why did it seem to make so much to him?

_Naruto-sensei, I know you're in there. _

What the hell kind of witchcraft was this? Since when was he any sort of respected figure that he would be called a _sensei_? Everyone hated him. Everyone. He gritted his teeth in pain, remembering every dirty look he got, every parent who pulled their child away, every rock thrown threw his window, every time he came home to find his apartment trashed with graffiti on his walls in almost illegible red scrawl. He remembered every restaurant he was denied entrance to, remembered every playground he was forced away from, remembered every time he was kicked like a dog in the dark alleyways in the middle of the night and left for naught.

_Don't lose yourself._

"Shut up!" he finally screamed, sitting bolt upright and grabbing at his head. "Whatever you are, just shut the fuck up and leave me the hell alone! Stop torturing me, whatever you are! Just leave me be!" Tears streamed down his face, angry tears that turned his cheeks blotchy red. He hated this consoling voice. He'd heard it somewhere, and he just couldn't remember, and that was probably annoying him the most: why couldn't he remember any good times? WHY? "Please, just leave me alone," he begged, curling in on himself, wrapping his arms tight around his legs.

A hand touched his shoulder, causing him to flinch and push himself away. "Get the hell away from me!" he gasped, moving back as far as he could go. The creature—that was all Naruto could really think to call it—pulled its claw back, blinking in surprise at his reaction. Naruto blinked back, not knowing what the heck kind of creature it was. Red fur, white belly, sharp teeth, slit pupils… was this a fox? Why did this fox have hands? Whatever the reason, Naruto didn't want to know it. Of course, the fox wasn't giving him much of a choice.

"Idiot," it chastised him, smacking him upside the head painfully before it stuck one claw in his chest, poking sharply. "I came over here to make sure you're alright, and this is how you treat me? With rudeness? Some host you are, Uzumaki Naruto." It seemed to scowl at him, if possible, and it did look fierce.

"Y-You know me?" Naruto asked, confused.

"And you know me," responded the fox with a growl, annoyed by Naruto's lack of recognition. "Of course, admittedly, we were never the same size, but my chakra is being constantly drained right now, so I can't maintain a larger shape. And some of it also has to deal with the image you wish to project of me, subconsciously. Apparently, you relate better to me when I'm your height… and with needless things like opposable thumbs, obviously." Naruto blushed despite his confusion. "Point is, Naruto, you need to snap out of it. Things are only bad if you wish them to be."

"What?" asked Naruto dumbly, causing the fox to sigh and smack him upside the head once more.

"It cannot be so hard to understand," complained the fox, shaking his head, turning around. "Things are only bad if you wish them to be. Meaning, if you think things are bad, then they're going to be bad. But if you think they are good, then they are good. You think you're alone, Uzumaki? It's your greatest fear, to be all alone in this world. You're not, Naruto, you've never been alone. Just remember everything good or better yet" –he pointed upwards—"Just listen to the kid. Don't lose yourself to what they want, Uzumaki, which is for you to see things their way. They want you to see the world as cruel, empty, and horrid. It isn't."

"It is," whispered Naruto.

The fox whipped around. "Really?" he asked incredulously. "Then answer me this, Naruto. All those times your apartment got trashed, who showed up, willing to help you clean up the mess? Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, and Inuzuka Kiba. After all those restaurants barred you, who personally invited you to come and eat at his? The owner of Ichiraku Ramen. After you got barred from all those playgrounds, who decided to taunt you and keep you from feeling alone for a couple of hours? Uchiha Sasuke did. After every parent pulled their kid away from you, what adults refused to let go of you? Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, and Sarutobi Hiruzen were there. And who's out there, fighting for you, trying to help you, calling you his sensei and referring to you as a precious person of his? Nara Shikaru. He needs your help, and you're here, wallowing in self pity. What kind of fucking man are you? Let me tell you—not one fit to be _my _container." The Kyūbi scowled. "Get off your ass."

Naruto did exactly what was commanded of him, although he was slightly confused. The Kyūbi crossed his arms over his chest. "Go find that Hyūga girl. She's trapped in here, somewhere in the bowels of your subconscious, along with my brethren. We stop her from controlling her, we get you out, and then we call this done." Naruto didn't move, and the Kyūbi rolled his eyes and kicked Naruto hard on the thigh, making him wince in pain. "Well? Get your ass moving, Uzumaki! We don't have all fucking day to dawdle."

* * *

"Gaara, I think I'm done," whispered Kankurō, standing up tentatively and testing out his balance on his new leg, careful not to put too much pressure on it. Gaara frowned, watching him. The sand still acted against the golden dust, still pushing against it and refusing it passage. He didn't need to watch it, and he didn't want to, either. He wanted to make sure Kankurō was okay. He tapped lightly on the wooden fixture before bending at the knee, crouching down low. He whistled lightly. "That was the first time I've ever done something like that before. I'm glad to see I didn't completely fail."

Kankurō had detached Scorpion's humanoid-seeming leg from its body at the knee and reattached it to his own through very basic medical ninjutsu, which left him sweating and nearly knocked out by the end. If Gaara hadn't been able to supply him with soldier pills, he would have surely just passed out and risked both their lives. Now Kankurō was running on the energy the pills had given him, which wasn't much, but enough not to pass out. But Gaara still thought he should rest—after all, he did just amputate his own _fucking leg. _That was a fact that Gaara could just not get over. How his brother could just forfeit his own leg was far beyond his understanding. How his brother could actually stand without physical therapy was confusing, too.

Kankurō then wobbled, nearly falling over before catching himself. "Ah," he whispered as he put himself back onto his feet, "Nearly hurt myself there…"

"Kankurō, stop, you've done enough," said Gaara, "Just let me…"

"Don't even say it," growled Kankurō, sweat building up on his forehead as he walked slowly forwards, grabbing onto the collar of his brother's shirt. "I… I need this!" He gritted his teeth. "I need this, Gaara-otouto. Let me do this." Gaara gritted his own teeth, his lip peeling back. He wanted to argue, he wanted to tell his brother he was being moronic. He wanted to tell him that he needed physical therapy. He wanted to tell him that he needed rest. But the fact remained that Kankurō was incredibly and irreparably stubborn and would keep going despite the pain and hardships he would face. He felt he needed to, when he really didn't. Gaara didn't understand it, and later he would question it—but now was not the time. Gaara sighed irritably, grabbing onto the thick cloth of his brother's shirt sleeve.

"Together," conceded Gaara, closing his eyes tight. "Dammit, I hate negotiations."

Kankurō's eyebrows rose despite himself. "You call _that _negotiation?" he asked, disbelieving of his brother's obtuse stubbornness. He shook his head and allowed a tired grin. "Fine. You're not going to let me have it my way, are you?" he asked. "Just so you know… it'll only prove how weak I am, you helping me…"

"Oh, shut the fuck up," said Gaara irritably, "Strong people know when to admit they need help." He pushed himself off his brother and dusted himself off, embarrassed and annoyed; crossing his arms over his chest as he held back his blush. He watched the sand continue to rise up and push against the golden dust, and he knew that some time, they'd have to act against their father. They needed to get rid of him. How could they do that? Well, he knew that—they needed to seal him. But how could one seal someone that they wanted to defeat? Sealing is not defeat; it is cutting off the battle. Gaara rubbed the back of his head, looking at his brother.

"Do you have more puppets to use?" he asked him, not taking his eyes off of his pain-stricken, sweaty, grimy face. Kankurō nodded, biting his lip. "Okay. So here is what we're going to have to do…"

The Fourth knew that Gaara was just stalling for time—for what, he didn't quite know, just that he was—and he pressed against the wants of Kabuto to allow for that time. His will was waning, though, and his curiosity and need to kill both grew as his will dissipated. He needed them to come out. He needed to fight them and take them out. He briefly considered creating a golden clone before dashing the idea away. That would probably be too easy for someone like Gaara to counter. It was needless. The sand's power began to wane, and he frowned and braced himself, eyes trained on the golden dust; prepared for anything. He only expected Gaara, as he'd broken Kankurō's leg enough to probably to leave it completely useless.

The sand finally fell, and the Fourth pulled his gold dust back, desperate to look at the face of his youngest child. Gaara's emotionless facial features were something he had taught his son personally, and he was definitely schooled in it. Gaara's jade eyes betrayed absolutely nothing to him, not even the location of the surprisingly absent Kankurō, which had to intrigue the Fourth the most. He didn't have time to ponder it as Gaara's sand rushed towards him, almost becoming spiked, ready to drive holes through him. It was easy enough for him to avoid; as it was a rather simple form of attack, for Gaara at the very least. He forced the gold into a temporary shield at just the right moment, causing the sand to impact with an almost deafening thudding sound.

He pulled back, moving away from the shield, eyes trained on Gaara. "Surprising, from you," said the Fourth, skidding to a stop twenty feet away from the golden shield, which began to crumble. Gaara's sand came back to swirl around his body, like a sick, blood-scented cloud of dirt and suffering. "I expected you to strike harder at me, Gaara."

"Kankurō wouldn't want me to seal you just yet," responded Gaara emotionlessly.

The Fourth raised an eyebrow. "It sounds as though you have become your own brother's puppet, Gaara. Do you listen to everything he tells you?" Gaara's frown deepened slightly before it fell back into its original positioning. He must've stricken a nerve with that one. "Does he tell you what to do with everything? Do you think for yourself at all? Or do you, Sabaku nō Gaara, prefer to stay on his chakra strings and let him control you?" The Fourth simply wanted to goad Gaara; he wanted to see if his intentions were true. For the last twelve years of his life, he'd had a constant distrust of Gaara. He had been born a tool, not a good one, really; but a tool nonetheless. He really wanted to see if that had changed. If he was doing this for himself or for Kankurō.

"He doesn't control me," said Gaara defiantly, raising up his hand. "And I'm not listening to him because I have to; I'm listening because I want to. I'm listening because he's not just because he's my bodyguard, and not just because he is a strong shinobi… but because he's my brother, and he deserves some closure on something in his life. He deserves this moment. I'll give my life to get him this moment."

"Where is he, then, if this is his moment?" asked the Fourth, forcing a condescending tone. He actually had a sick feeling that he was very close, but he just couldn't find him.

Gaara didn't have to answer him. The Fourth realized this as a foot connected with the side of his head hard, making him fall over. If he were alive, he would've cried out in pain. But, as it stood, that part of himself just repaired itself as Kankurō dropped to his feet, breathing heavy. The Fourth stared at him, surprised that he was upright until he looked down to see a bare, wooden foot on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise, noting that his son had cut off his own leg because it had been hindering him. Kankurō smirked despite the obvious pain he was in, confusing the Fourth before he noticed that Kankurō's left index finger was twitching.

_Twitching… shit! _the Fourth thought, turning around to see the Black Ant behind him, its barrel-like face too close for his own comfort. Its barreled torso opened, and Gaara's sand came spilling out, wrapping itself around the Kazekage's body and tightening, hardening; encasing him. Within seconds, he was unable to move, frozen in the cocoon of sand. Despite his situation, he smirked to himself. His sons had done it. Though it had only started off with Kankurō's efforts, they both had defeated him. It made him gladder than anything to know they could work together.

"You're going to seal me, correct?" asked the Fourth out loud, wanting to see his son's face one last time but knowing he was asking way too much, much more than he deserved. He chuckled. "I would hardly have it any other way than to be sealed by my sons. My children, who I've damaged so much. The only one missing right now is Temari, though I don't believe she has nearly half the damage you two have." He closed his eyes. "I failed you, I believe. The both of you. I made you both believe you weren't wanted, or needed, or loved. A sick, inexcusable thing to do to children, to do to children who didn't do anything wrong in their lives."

Kankurō looked over at Gaara, eyebrows raised. Neither of them were sure whether or not to believe him.

"Gaara." Gaara flinched at the sudden softness of his voice, still only expected scolding and words of hatred to come from his father. He looked at the mound of sand he had covered his father with. "I blamed you for the loss of your mother. I hated you for it, because I loved her so deeply. I hated you because you had her eyes—her kind eyes. I tried to remove all emotion out of you by getting Yashamaru to tell you that she hated you. She didn't. She wouldn't have carried you if she had. She would've aborted—I know my Karura—if she didn't feel such a love for you. Her last wish was to protect you, from anything, despite the fact you had a demon installed within you." Gaara looked down at his hands, the hands that had taken many in the name of his mother. Was that the kind of child she'd wanted? No, it couldn't have been. He bit his lip. He'd failed her…

"Kankurō." Kankurō didn't look away from his brother, who was on the verge of tears. He already had a feeling of what his father was going to say. "I am…" _Disappointed, _Kankurō thought sullenly. "…so very proud of you." He blinked, surprised that his father had said that. "I've always been proud of you. You're everything your mother wanted you to be: so protective, so kind, stubborn and relentless at times, strong, passionate, loving of everything. She wanted you to grow up to be that kind of man. We both had. We both thought that was something Suna needed that we just didn't have: a kind shinobi. But then she died, and I couldn't bear to see it. I couldn't, because it was everything I had fallen for Karura for. I tried to destroy it, which was probably my biggest mistake. I'm glad to see it never was completed. The shinobi world couldn't bear a loss like that." Kankurō looked away from his shorter younger brother, unable to think straight. His father… he sounded loving, caring: everything he had known him not to be.

"The both of you are the things that Karura wanted, and I tried to destroy you both because I couldn't handle her being gone. Temari was almost exactly like me in every respect, except that she had developed an almost maternal love and understanding for the both of you, though like me she probably had trouble showing such devotion to either of you. Don't blame her for it. She loves you, just like your mother does… just like I do." He sighed. "I'm not asking for forgiveness from the either of you. I don't expect any. I've done my best to ruin the both of you, and I stole your childhoods in order to do it. But, nonetheless… all I can do is apologize. For everything."

"Stop talking," said Kankurō is an emotion-filled voice, surprising the Fourth. "How can I believe you? You might just be trying to make us take out guards down."

"I'm not lying."

"How would I know?!" barked Kankurō, startling the both of them. "You're the same man who whipped me with a smile when I would lose to Temari! You're the same man who burned me because I wanted Gaara to play with children! _You're the same man who inscribed this on my hand because I displeased you_! How can I trust a damned thing you say to me about apologies, you bastard?!" The Fourth could hear his son begin to break down, and he felt pain in his chest. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to see.

It was like seeing your childhood hero be defeated by your greatest enemy for Gaara. Kankurō was falling apart at the seams, stuck in between a long-stretched and stowed away hope to believe his father and a logical portion of his brain that told him that his father was speaking lives. Kankurō fell to his knees, hands pressed against his temples, tears streaming down his face. Gaara walked slowly over to him, tentatively putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. Gaara could see plainly why Kankurō had such trouble believing his father—his entire body was a symbol of the apparent hatred that he'd had to bear for his entire childhood. He'd even just lost his leg because of his father. How could one just forget all of that just in a second? It wasn't possible.

"Kankurō… your mother named you that," whispered the Fourth. "It was the name of her older brother. He was the last container of Shukaku, before Gaara." Gaara blinked and looked up, confused. He'd never heard of an older brother of his mother. Yashamaru had certainly never talked of him. "The night you were born, he died. We were still in the midst of deep war, and due to our allegiances towards the Leaf, they decided to attack the first-born son to the Kazekage, who would be the most apparent heir to the seat. He became Shukaku in order to protect you, only to be killed as soon as he came out of the form by a coward shinobi. I killed that man immediately. Karura never wanted to forget her brother, so she named you after him—the secret hero of the Sand." Gaara looked down at Kankurō, who stared at the sand with an unreadable emotion on his face. "I readily agreed with it. I wanted my son to be named something meaningful. What a better fitting name than the savior of my son?"

Kankurō numbly wiped the tears off of his face, forcing himself onto unsteady feet. He pushed Gaara off of his softly as he moved, walking towards the sand cocoon. He had one last thing to say, and he needed to look his father in the face as he said it. It was the only thing he could think to do. His father's eyes widened to see Kankurō's angry red grimy face staring at him with as much emotion as garden gnome.

"I can't forgive you," said Kankurō, not giving his father any time to speak. "Despite what you're telling me, I can't forgive you; nor do I really know whether or not to believe you. I can't just live through what you've done to me and then just be expected to simply believe your words of love or whatever it is. I'm not that kind of person. I never was. I'm logical, sometimes too stubborn to listen to other people, always headstrong, maybe too possessive, definitely too careful, too caring, too emotional, and I believe I'm weak as well. I'm weak because a little part of me wants to forgive you. But I want to be strong as well. So I stand by my statement: I can't forgive you for anything you've done to me.

"However," he said slowly now, hesitating, "If I am to be stronger, I need to look forwards, for my own sakes. I need to let things become the past. I can't always regret what I never did. I have to grow up. So, while I don't forgive you… I thank you for your apology. And now, I'm going to let you go. I'm letting everything about my past go. I'm going to live for my present, as well as my future." He sighed, closing his eyes and turning around, his back to his father. "Goodbye, Otousan."

The Fourth felt his spirit jump for joy, feeling free and released from the physical plane. He could feel things again, such as the sand on his skin, the grime on his face, and even… the breeze against his skin. It smelled like the home of his late wife's, the one he was always so keen to visit. He automatically knew what was happening.

Karura was calling him home.

He smiled widely and closed his eyes. "Thank you, Kankurō," he whispered as he felt himself enveloped by a warm substance, oddly like a woman's arms wrapping themselves around his body, holding him close. Something soft kissed his cheek, and a tear dripped down his face. "Thank you, my son. Thank you. Thank the both of you." He allowed himself to fall into the embrace of the substance, disappearing from the material world in a bright light.

Kankurō fisted his hand. "You're welcome… Otousan…" he whispered as a tear dripped down his face, falling to the ground.

* * *

Neji was nearly out of breath, whereas Madara was only lightly panting, a slight sheen of sweat on his brow that he wiped away with a condescending smirk. "What's the matter, Hyūga?" he taunted Neji, "Tired?" Neji growled at him, but said nothing. He didn't need to say anything. It was blatantly obvious. He was slouching over in his stance, and he could hardly keep his hand upright in his Gentle Fist stance. He was nearly dead with chakra to match.

He had a master chakra control and could stretch out his chakra through a fight that could last for hours, but he felt so drained now, and they had only been fighting for thirty minutes. He knew exactly why, though—Madara was strong. Sasuke was a hard opponent, Neji could figure that much out without coming close to the guy, and now Madara was within him, with his own arsenal of techniques. Of course it would be difficult to fight him, who was equal to none except the First Hokage. And Neji would be the first to admit that he was nothing like the First.

Madara was so far beyond his capabilities, so far past the level Neji was at. Neji knew that his fighting Madara was almost as if Madara was fighting a toddler. If it hadn't been for his Byakugan, he was sure he would've been long dead before this point. Neji could see just fine, it was just that Madara was so fast that he couldn't land a hit on him at all, especially not with that Rinnegan (which Neji didn't know he had until he was thrown away by an unseen force) and not that wood-attuned ninjutsu, either (another thing Neji hadn't known about). It was irritating Neji, but he knew it was amusing the hell out of Madara.

Neji lunged forwards again, striking out and moving to tap Madara at least on the back of the hand. Of course, Madara countered him with ease, ducking and hooking his foot behind Neji's knee, making him buckle and fall back, flat onto his back. Madara stepped down on top of Neji's chest, making the Hyūga prodigy gasp out in pain, his hands falling to the side. Madara leaned down over his face, grinning. "You amused me," said Madara, "I might let you live. At least you had the courage to fight me, unlike your friends." Neji growled under his breath, offended on the behalves of Shikamaru and Suigetsu. Without thinking, he brought his hands up and tapped on different points on Madara's leg, catching him off guard enough to slip out from underneath him and catch a few more points on his upper arms and his torso, sealing off as many chakra points as he could before Madara raised his knee up, jamming it into Neji's face.

Now he was irritated. "I was going to spare you, you dumb fuck," growled Madara evilly, walking over to Neji's fallen form and kicking him hard in the ribs, making him scream out in pain. "But now I have to kill you." He stepped down on Neji's throat, pressing hard. "And then I'll go find those weakling comrades you call friends you have, and I'll make sure to kill them, too!" Neji tried to push against Madara with his hands, but he found Madara's other foot pinning his right hand down, leaving him with only one hand. He tried to thrash about, but he just couldn't move.

_Shit, _thought Neji as he got increasingly light-headed. He was dizzied when he found himself freed from Madara's grip, unable to think clearly. He wasn't sure what happened, but he was sure happy to be able to breathe once more. He coughed; hacking, painful coughs that came out with blood. He rubbed his throat as he sat up, but found himself sitting up too fast and getting dizzy.

"Whoa, whoa," said a familiar voice that he couldn't place. A person grabbed onto his shoulders, grasping tight. "Don't get up too fast, Hyūga." He helped Neji up, who was like dead weight, and led him over to the wall, leaning him against it. He rubbed Neji's neck, making Neji wince. He put his hand to Neji's neck, surprising Neji with the fact that he seemed to suck away all the pain in his throat. He suddenly found himself able to focus on the boy in front of him, whose messy long bangs nearly covered the Alliance symbol on the forehead protector.

"Shikaru…?" asked Neji, confused.

Shikaru pulled his hand back, raising it to his own neck. "Yeah?" he asked hoarsely, his face contorted in pain. Neji stared at him as if he had three heads. Last time Neji had checked, Shikaru wanted to kill him. Shikaru swallowed only to cough, still holding his neck. "Dammit. He got you pretty bad, didn't he?" he asked in a voice that sounded like he had been chain smoking for about fifty years. He looked up from Neji and turned to look at Madara. Instantly, his eyes narrowed, and he dropped his hand from his neck. "That's Madara, huh?"

"How much do you know?" asked Neji, moving to stand up. Shikaru instantly put his hands back onto Neji's shoulders, pushing him down. He gave a half smile.

"Stay here," said Shikaru, "It's for your own safety." He tapped his shoulders lightly. Neji would've been more assured had his voice not sounded as if he had spent a long time in prison without anyone to talk to. It was slightly freaky, especially knowing his capabilities. The look of absolute glee that he had at the prospect of killing him would be one that he knew would stick with him for pretty much the rest of his life. Shikaru stood up, his smile slipping off of his features as he became serious, glaring at Madara. "You're the one who killed Jūgo," he said pointedly to Madara.

Madara smirked. "He's dead?"

"By now, I assume he is," responded Shikaru, not allowing Madara to get to him emotionally. Madara's smirk widened, amused by Shikaru's icy, cool demeanor. He was far more collected than most people he had the pleasure of fighting, with a chakra level that made him think of the First Hokage. It would be a pleasure to fight someone near his level, no matter what the age.

"Give me your name, boy," said Madara.

"Shikaru," he responded easily, facing him completely, fisting his hands as he glared at Madara, willing his two ocular kekkei genkais to activate as he slipped into a defensive taijutsu stance, ready for anything Madara could churn out at him. "I'm going to be the one who will wake up Sasuke."

"Don't want to kill the killer of your friend?" taunted Madara.

Shikaru was untouched. "I don't want Sasuke's blood on my hands. He's my cousin. He's also a Leaf shinobi and therefore a comrade. Perhaps you should spend less time trying to taunt me and more time fighting me, unless you want me to make the first move." Madara's smirk slipped as Shikaru allowed some of his chakra to slip out of his body, its intensity slightly shocking to any in the nearby vicinity. Madara grew completely serious now, reactivating his own bloodlines. With far more grace than how Neji had attacked him, in his opinion, he lunged at Shikaru, not wasting any of his time.

Shikaru parried easily, bringing up his right arm and deflecting Madara's attempt to hit him, attempting to kick out the man's feet from underneath him. Of course, Madara saw this coming—with his Sharingan, it would be an embarrassment should he not have seen it—and jumped, nimbly avoiding Shikaru's sweeping kick and bringing his left foot to meet with Shikaru's ribcage. Shikaru leaned back, his hands touching the floor; avoiding the kick and following up that move with one of his own, clipping Madara in the cheek. Madara leaped back a meter out of the way, annoyed at the fight this boy had within him. Shikaru pushed off his hands and onto his feet, instantly settling into a crouch, hardly out of breath.

"He's closed up your chakra points in your arms," noted Shikaru, standing up slowly, eyes still trained on Madara. He smiled softly. "Good job, Neji." Neji wasn't sure where Shikaru had it left in him to smile at anything, considering how serious he usually was. But, then again, Neji didn't really know him all that well. He didn't know what to make of this kid.

Shikaru felt a shift in the air, and he barely brought his arms up in time to avoid a kunai being stabbed in his shoulder, instead allowing it to impale the flesh of his arm. He winced, but refused to cry out, stumbling back a few steps. Exactly what Madara wanted: space to attack. And did he attack. He kicked Shikaru in the head, causing the boy to hit the wall with his head. Disorientated, Shikaru grabbed his head, trying to make the room stop spinning. Madara brought his foot to his kidneys now, kicking him hard. Shikaru keeled over, coughing up blood, grabbing at his now painful side; one Sharingan eye cracked open in order to anticipate the next attack. He managed to figure out what Madara was going to do next, but with the pain he felt, he couldn't dodge, instead getting lightly clipped in the cheek instead of a full-on punch. He stumbled back a few steps, uncertain of his next move.

Madara lunged at him once more, swinging his fist at him. Shikaru ducked, barely avoiding the hit. The pain from Madara's previous hits made him freeze up, preventing him from avoiding the next hit, which was to his other cheek. It had him twisting around, nearly smacking the wall before he managed to catch himself. He turned his head slightly to track Madara's movements with his Sharingan, predicting his next move. He waited until Madara's fist was close to his face before ducking, slipping between his legs. Not wasting time at the obvious opportunity, he summoned as much chakra to his hand as possible, gathering it all quickly as he could. Usually, since his instinct was to instantly kill, he would utilize the Chidori, which he had seen Sasuke using during the Chūnin exams. But he didn't want to kill Sasuke—he simply wanted to wake him up. He hoped that the Rasengan, which Naruto had trained both himself and Konohamaru to use, would be more than enough. He'd seen the damage it could possibly do to anyone, and he thought it would be sufficient enough for this, if not extreme over-kill.

As soon as he built up enough chakra, he lunged at Madara, whose mind was only just beginning to catch up with his eyes. He turned around only to be met with Shikaru's Rasengan, feeling nothing but pure, brutish chakra ripping and tearing at him, sending him flying through the rocky wall, sending him meters away. Shikaru pulled back in time as to avoid falling forwards through the hole he'd created, breathing heavy. He would be the first to admit that he hadn't mastered the Rasengan, really. He always put way too much chakra into it. It always left him exhausted afterwards, the muscles in his arms screaming out in pain.

He looked at Neji, who stared at him as he had three heads. He sighed, closing his eyes as they faded into their normal dark color, thinking that Neji was afraid of him. He was, of course, a monster. "I'm sor—"

"Thank you." Neji's interruption surprised Shikaru, who opened his eyes wide and stared down at him. Neji smiled softly, looking away. "I would've died if it hadn't been for you. Thank you." He slowly and carefully pushed himself to his feet, wincing in pain as he did. He walked slowly over to Shikaru in order to place a hand onto his shoulder, smiling sincerely down at the awestruck boy. "I'm glad we have you as a comrade."

Shikaru stared at him, disbelieving of his words. "But, I… I tried… I killed…" He bit his lip, not knowing how to put it into words. "I'm not a good person… I've taken so many lives, of Leaf shinobi…" He looked down at his feet, ashamed of himself, remembering how he'd killed so many ninja in cold blood.

"They shall be honored accordingly," said Neji with a nod, "And trust me when I say this: no one will hold you accountable for it." Shikaru looked back up, confused. "We all are now well aware of your condition, Shikaru-san. We all know that what happened was not something that you could've controlled, nor would it have been something you would've wanted to have done." Neji looked away once more. "We all trust in you, Shikaru. If Naruto trusts you, then so do the rest of us." He gave Shikaru one more pat on the shoulder as he carefully lifted his leg, walking through the hole in the wall. He looked back at Shikaru, who kept staring at the spot he once inhabited. "What're you doing? We have to go see if Sasuke is back."

Shikaru flinched and looked at Neji, his eyes filled with emotion Neji couldn't quite place. He nodded, wiping at his eyes. "A-Alright," he said with a small smile. "He's gonna be pissed at me when he wakes up, though, Neji-san." Neji chuckled, knowing that what Shikaru said was the truth. He turned and braced one hand against the rock wall, not noticing that Shikaru's smile started to wobble as tears streamed freely down his face.

Despite the fact that he was a seasoned killer, he was still a kid, and he was most definitely still a human being.

* * *

Shizuka wrapped his arms around his legs, biting his kneecap. Shino stood next to him, not really paying much attention to him. Shizuka was just glad that he had someone next to him, even if they weren't paying attention to him. He wanted company more than attention. It was mostly his personality to strive for a spot outside of the spot light of someone's attentions. He just hated being alone, really. He had been alone way too often in his life.

He was content for this.

He watched as the number of shinobi multiplied every minute. Shino had explained to Kakashi that he had a complicated system of body-flicker techniques set at that moment, all of them relying on his insects. Shizuka thought it was slightly gross, especially when he watched as some of his ninja insects crawled their ways out of people's noses or ears. He wondered if the people could feel the insects crawling around inside of them. He shuddered at the thought of it. He wanted to ask, but every time he looked up at Shino, he automatically lost his nerve. He really was shy. He didn't know how to just ask people something like that. That was Hanabi's job.

Thinking of her… he really was worried about her.

Kakashi made his way over to him slowly. Shizuka knew why, he'd gone batshit when Kakashi hadn't allowed him to heal Jūgo. Shizuka wasn't completely sure how to assure Kakashi that he wasn't holding it against him anymore—he did regret not having the ability to save Jūgo, sure, and he did blame himself, but he only blamed himself—no one else. He was the one who felt guilt that he didn't have the capability to save him. Kakashi crouched down in front of him, dark grey eyes on him. "Are you calmer now?" asked Kakashi casually, as if he were asking about the weather.

"Fine," said Shizuka quickly, not wishing to elaborate. He wasn't fine. He was worried, he was angry, he was sad. He was anything but fine. He looked over at the medical shinobi, who were busy putting Jūgo's body in a bag. He swallowed dryly and looked away.

"There was nothing you could've done for him," sighed Kakashi, crossing his arms over his chest. Shizuka glared at him. He knew that. That was why he felt guilty about this. About him dying. Shizuka looked up at the sky, at the surprising darkness. He'd forgotten it was nighttime. They were running out of time. This was only accentuated by the roar that resounded through the night sky.

Shizuka tightened his grip on his sword. "None of them are out yet," he finally whispered, looking past Kakashi at the hideout. "These roars are only getting louder, and not a one of them are out." He pushed the end of the sheath into the rocky ground, using it to stand up. "I'm going in there." Kakashi groaned, irritated by Shizuka's emotional detachment as the boy stepped forwards, moving in the direction of the hideout. His irritation was quickly dashed as he felt a sudden change in the weight of the air, his emotion replaced by instinct as he grabbed the boy by his elbow, pulling him away fast enough to have a kunai wiz past his nose. Shizuka landed on Kakashi, groaning in surprise. Immediately, the forces of shinobi were on guard, surprised someone would attack.

"As I expect from you, Kakashi." The man mentioned blinked, surprised to hear his name come through the lips of such an unfamiliar voice. No. That was incorrect. It was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He didn't know what to make of the voice. He knew it—of course he knew it—but at the same time, he just couldn't recognize it. His sense as a dog told him to trust this voice, but as a shinobi, he just couldn't.

He decided his ears could deceive him, pushing Shizuka off as quickly as possible to turn around and look this man in the face. He was shocked to see half of a heavily-scared face, one blood-red Sharingan eye glaring at him, the other half of his face close to unscathed, his Rinnegan eye glaring at him as well. Kakashi's brow furrowed for a millisecond before his eyes widened, shocked and confused greatly by the man before him.

"O… Obito…?"

* * *

The golden dome began to fall apart about fifteen minutes after all residue chakra from the Fourth Kazekage began to dissipate, much to Kankurō and Gaara's relief. They had been impatiently waiting for the golden dome to fall apart, as Gaara's sand was not strong enough to pierce it when in a solid formation. Neither knew of what to expect of what they would see within the dome, and based on the roars, they both doubted it would be good.

As the gold fell down, Gaara began to brace himself for any attacks, the sand turning and twisting around his and Kankurō's bodies. He needed to keep him safe. He didn't want his older brother harmed by anything that was in there. Of course, that didn't mean to say that he knew for sure that what was inside that dome would attack him; he didn't. But being the person he is, he was cautious about everything. He always acted to expect the possible worst in a situation.

Of course, he didn't know how bad the situation could be until the dome completely crumbled apart, finally, revealing what was going on its inside. Sick, red, angry chakra covered one person, making them seem almost completely beast-like except for their one pale hand, the kanji for 'sit' imprinted on their palm. Gaara could only assume that this was the effects of beast chakra, when it took one over. He'd seen it once, in pictures in Uzumaki Naruto's file. It was positively gruesome, and it was more terrifying in real life than he'd believed. Only the slight uplift in the chest area signified that this was a woman. The only woman he could think it to be was Hinata. There was no explanation. He didn't know how she'd become like this, or why, but she _was_ like this.

Gaara looked at the older-seeming woman standing behind 'Hinata', hand pressed against her shoulder. She looked like a splitting image of her, so he could only assume that this woman, clothed in Konoha ANBU uniform, was in fact her mother. Her pale eyes flicked over to the two men, no emotion crossing her features. She frowned. "The Kazekage?" she asked, not removing her hand from 'Hinata's' shoulder.

"Don't worry about him," said Gaara quickly in a dangerous tone, "Remove your hand from the Hyūga—_now._"

Her frown lessened. Most people would be intimidated by Gaara's angry, dangerous tone, but her… she was just short of being amused by it. He could see her lips tip upwards into the slightest bit of a smile before they went back into a tight lipped frown. She sighed, looking back down at the red-covered figure. "I can't," she said, closing her eyes. "I wish I could, but if I do, Hinata loses the chakra… and then this chakra consumes her. It takes a lot of my own will to keep that hatred from touching her heart right now."

Gaara frowned. "Why are you telling us this? Aren't we your enemies?" he asked, confused. Kankurō, who was only just getting out of the shock of seeing his Hinata in such a state, could only barely nod in agreement. He wanted to yank her away and shake her awake, but he was afraid of this. He didn't know what to do.

She looked at both boys. "You both look much like the Kazekage. He was telling me that he has two sons earlier. You both seem to fit his descriptions. So, if I'm right about who you two are, that means… you, on the left," she said, looking pointedly at Kankurō, "Is Hinata's love, Kankurō." Kankurō blinked, surprised that his father would even bother mentioning him, and found himself nodding. Her eyes softened a hint. "I thought so. Based on what he's told of me of you, you treat Hinata with as much love and affection as one can hope for. You care so deeply for her. You truly love my daughter. I'm happy for that, and for that reason, I don't see either of you as any sort of enemy, really." She looked back down at her daughter. "So I'm sorry to say that there is nothing you can do for Hinata."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Of Being Alone

**YES! Got this done! *Happy Dance* I don't know what's wrong with me right now, I'm just really happy! lol. Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry for its length. I just had a lot to write, because I know things are beginning to conclude. So excited about this! **

**To ****McKazekage****: Ha, just wait. You'll see what they can do... Don't worry about Kakashi, and don't hate Obito? Please? I've got an idea of how to deal with him x) . And, when I read that chapter... I really cried like a baby. "Because... they called me a genius..." Me: ****_You're not a genius, you shithead, now don't you dare... fuck... he's dead! *Waterworks* _****To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: really? You thought the fight was good? I was kind of worried I'd let it go way too soppy...! And Sasuke... Sasuke is definitely back, don't worry about him. And I agree with you- I want to hug Shizuka, too :3 . **

**So here's the chapter. **

**Don't own Naruto, so don't sue me. Also, don't bitch that I don't follow the storyline of Naruto. (Isn't it kind of obvious, anyways? I mean, the pairing is KankHina. Do they talk in the manga? No. So just shut the hell up and enjoy my convoluted story, 'kay? 'Kay.)**

No one was there.

She was in a void. An endlessly white, endlessly empty, endlessly lonesome, and endlessly _endless _void. Though the space was free and roomy, she felt constricted, tight, and cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, looking around but finding absolutely no one. She couldn't see anyone, she couldn't smell anyone, and she couldn't feel anyone. But, apparently, she could hear just fine. She could hear millions of voices calling her weak. Calling her useless. Calling her a freak. She covered her ears with her hands, but it did nothing to block out the noise. It did nothing to stop these people, people she couldn't even place; from calling her things she feared hearing from everyone.

She fell to her knees, tears beginning in her eyes. _You're not fit to be the heiress. _She'd never asked for that! If she had a choice, she would happily hand off the job to Hanabi or to Neji. But, no, that wasn't how it worked. She couldn't just give up her inheritance like that. It was actually a very complicated process. She didn't want the responsibility of leading the clan, and she especially didn't want to be the first _female _clan head in nearly two centuries. There were expectations, expectations she was sure she would never be able to fill. Expectations that she wasn't looking forwards to destroying brutally.

_You disappoint me. _She knew this. She knew all she did was disappoint people. She obviously disappointed her mother; she left her alone. Her father hardly ever talked to her, and when he did, it was to deliver criticisms. Nothing she has done—ever—could please him. Seeing her father's cold eyes glaring down on her, with the council she would have to one day deal with herself standing behind him; made her tears grow more. Her chest tightened, and she couldn't resist the urge to scream loudly.

_You're nothing! You never will be anything! _

_You don't deserve any of this! _

_You're a freak! You're weak! _

_You deserve to die! _

Hinata curled up, sobbing hysterically. Every part of her began to ache with wounds she never received. She just wanted it all to end. She wanted it to all go away. This was ripping her up from the inside out and she was sick of the feeling. She didn't know how long it'd been affecting her, nor did she care. She just knew she wanted it gone. She wanted it to go away, from the deepest part of her heart. She couldn't bear this burden. She just couldn't. It was making her absolutely sick to feel this way.

_Everyone hates you!_

_We all want you to go die!_

_Don't play with us, you white-eyed freakazoid. _

_You main house scum are the reason I have a seal. _

_Scum. _

_Bitch. _

_Go die. _

"STOP! PLEASE!" she begged the unknown persons, closing her eyes to avoid seeing the endless white void that surrounded her. "WHAT DID I EVER DO WRONG?! TELL ME! PLEASE! I'LL FIX IT. PLEASE...! Just make it all go away…" She trailed off as she realized that each time she begged the whispers only got worse and worse. She felt herself just crumbling into pieces, pieces that no one would ever be bothered to pick up.

"…You're not a Jinchūriki."

Hinata flinched and snapped her head up, still crying intensely. A man with a curious look peered down at her, dark purple eyes almost intense. He crouched down in front of her, elbows on his knee caps. His dirty blonde hair was a strange burst of color in her surroundings. He poked her just below her right eye, scooping up some of her salty tears. He rubbed it between his fingertips, as if he'd never seen tear drops before. He looked down at his fingers, down at the wetness, before looking back up at her, who was still crying. "Why're you crying, eh?"

"E-Everyone… e-everyone h-hates m-me…" said Hinata, her bottom lip quivering.

The man cocked his head slightly. "Doubt that," he said, "Someone's gotta like you." Hinata scoffed and wrapped her arms around her body, tightening her grip around herself. "Don't give me that. You've got too pretty a face to think that no one will like you. I'll bet there are a million teenaged boys out there who wanna fuck the living hell outta you…" The man trailed off as Hinata's face turned beet red, surprised at his bluntness and perversion. He smirked shyly and rubbed the back of his neck. Her brow furrowed delicately. _Where have I seen that before…? _"Well, anyways. Get up, huh?"

"W-Where a-are we g-going?" she whispered, arms still wrapped around herself tightly.

"Anywhere but here." He shrugged. "I have someone to find. It'll get my personal questions answered." Hinata shook her head vigorously, unsure of whether or not to trust the man. He sighed, and before she really knew it, she was tossed over his shoulder. She could feel the frigidness of his hand through the fabric of her pants. She shivered and did her best to re-cross her arms over her body, but to no avail. She quickly gave up, her arms dangling as he carried her; his steps making her arms sway side to side. "What's your name, eh, girl?"

"H-Hyūga H-Hi-Hinata," stuttered Hinata horribly.

"Sunflower? That's a pretty name, if you don't mind me saying," said the man. "I thought your name would be something prettier though, something more suited for you. Like… I dunno. Like… Rabendā or something." Hinata wrinkled her brow. Lavender? What the hell? "Well, it's not like my own name is that good, anyways, so I don't think I have any room to talk," he said with a light chuckle in his voice.

"W-What's y-your name…?" asked Hinata in a shy, uncertain voice.

"Hmm? Me?" asked the man. "Me… I'm Kankurō… Sabaku nō Kankurō, the jinchūriki of the One-Tails demon beast, Shukaku; as well as the brother-in-law of the Fourth Kazekage, older brother of Lady Karura, his wife." Hinata's brow furrowed, wondering why she knew the name so well. She didn't know why it sounded so familiar, yet so strange and foreign at the same time. She bit her lip, frowning. Her heart had beaten faster at the sound of that name. So why couldn't she remember who this person is?

* * *

"_WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!_" screamed Kankurō, turning red in the face, burning with absolute anger for the woman behind Hinata, Hinata's mother. She frowned at him, unsure whether or not to be irritated that Kankurō was yelling at _her _for something she couldn't control. While she had always been a kind woman, with a moderate amount of patience that could take some filing down; she was not infinitely kind. She didn't take lightly to being blamed for things that are so far beyond her control. "_WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN; THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO FOR HINATA?!_"

"Exactly what I meant, dumbass," said Suki, annoyed. "There's nothing you can do to help Hinata—not when she's in this state." She looked at Gaara, who was just as angry and confused as Kankurō; just less vocalized about it. Suki sighed, suppressing the urge to cross her arms over her chest in frustration. She knew that it wasn't their faults they didn't understand. Hell, a normal person _shouldn't _understand something as intricate as the effects of Bijū, even if one of these persons happened to be the latest container of the One-Tailed Beast.

She stood up a little, still keeping her hands pressed against Hinata's shoulder. Her eyes softened to look down at her daughter, or, more aptly, down at the thing her daughter had become in order to control the Jūbi. It was incredibly cruel of this man—the man with the Sharingan eye—to do this to such a girl, a girl like Hinata. Suki sighed, closing her eyes for just a moment before reopening them. "Kazekage-sama… you were the most recent container to Shikaku, am I correct?" she asked

"Yes," responded Gaara without hesitation, nodding.

"So you do remember feeling such horrible loneliness? Perhaps, even, self-hatred?" asked Suki, looking over at the red-haired youth. Gaara blinked and looked down at his feet, frowning deeply. Of course he did. How could one simply _forget_ something like that? A hatred that made someone feel so angry all the time, so hateful towards anything that remotely resembled happiness. He nodded, still looking down. "Do you know _why _you felt that way, Kazekage-sama?"

"Yes," whispered Gaara, "It was because I was a jinchūriki that I felt self-hatred, and it was because everyone hated me that I felt so alone." Kankurō, who had fallen silent, watched Gaara with a frown on his face, biting his lip. He, once more, felt ashamed with himself. He did push Gaara away, albeit he was forced to; but nonetheless, he did make his beloved younger brother feel hated. He clenched his fist, angry with himself.

"Close, but not quite it," said Suki, surprising both brothers. "The jinchūriki are the cause of loneliness; that is correct. But self-hatred… self-hatred is an emotion they only cause in incompatible containers." Gaara looked up, eyes widened. "Shukaku attacked you with self-hatred because you are a weaker hold on him than a completely compatible container might be. He wanted his own control, to run rampant, and through no fault of your own and with complete and total luck; you managed to keep him largely at bay." She looked down at Hinata. "Imagine that, but times nine, now, Kazekage-sama. Hinata may be strong, but no human being alive is strong enough to withhold that type of hatred. It's taking all of my chakra to keep all that from swallowing her… and therefore killing her, and freeing the Jūbi from the ranges of control."

Kankurō was stunned; staring down at the chakra-covered woman he called his love. He swallowed dryly and crouched down besides her, daring to get close to her. He tried to touch her, only to feel like he was burning his hands. Suki winced in sympathy for him. "Don't touch her. Chakra-burns can't be healed like regular burns. You'll be in the hospital for months." Kankurō looked at her with pain-filled eyes.

"How do you know this?" he asked.

"About the jinchūrikis?" she asked back, confused.

"Yes." Kankurō swallowed dryly. "How do you know anything about them?"

She sighed and looked down. She didn't know how to explain what she was with normal words. She didn't know how to say it without freaking either male out. When she had told Hiashi why she had been so exceptional, he had a duck. People didn't take kindly to the type of person she was. "I…" she swallowed dryly. "I was experimented on, in ROOT, by Orochimaru." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "Danzō wanted to find a way to control a Bijū without a natural Wood-release kekkei-genkai. So they took the slightest bit of DNA from a Nine-tails jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, who also happened to be a friend of mines from my short days at the Academy. With that DNA code written into mines… I can't have a Bijū within me, nor can I truly and completely control a beast; but what I can do is suppress its chakra and influences, possibly to the point of killing both the beast and the container." She hung her head. "What Danzō had wanted was a beast controller. What he got, instead, was a beast slayer."

* * *

He was injured.

No thoughts really ran through Hatake Kakashi's mind. No emotions filled his being. Nothing on the outside seemed to really touch him. He knew he was injured. He knew he should be getting up. He knew he should be looking for someone. But, really; he just didn't want to get up. If he got up, and he faced what was happening, it would all become all too real. That was something he didn't want, for this moment to be real.

He didn't want to see that his friend, his hero; Obito, had become evil. All his memories of Obito showed him a happy, eager-to-please sort of guy. Not this cold man who was happy to harm countless shinobi for no tangible reasons. Obito couldn't be that man. He just couldn't. That couldn't be the same Obito that he had saved Rin's life with. That couldn't be the Obito he would have given his own life in order to save, should Kakashi get the chance. It couldn't be possible for someone like Obito, who loved life and freedom; to become the leader of such an evil thing.

The rain began to come down, hitting Kakashi in the face. He didn't mind. It didn't hurt, really. It didn't even really seem to touch Kakashi. He couldn't think about anything. All he knew was that it was wet and warm on his face. Kakashi thought of it as no more than a simple rain. He didn't realize that it was, in fact, Shino standing over him, his upper torso embedded with multiple shuriken. His blood dripped down onto Kakashi, who was actually in a form of shock, as far as Shino could tell. Kakashi had some of his side taken out when Obito had used his Wood-release ninjutsu to swallow up countless shinobi fighting for the Alliance, swallowing them in its grip. As far as Shino could tell, no one was dead. And, also as far as Shino could tell; the chances of them getting out of this unscathed was little to none. _As best shown by this moment, _thought Shino irritably, trembling despite himself.

"Why would you save him?" asked Obito, angry at Shino's selfless actions. "He needs to die!" Shino glared back at Obito, angered by Obito's anger. He didn't care what type of person this 'Obito' was. It didn't matter. It was _his_ fault Kiba was in the position he was in, it was _his _fault Hinata was in there, _his _fault multiple Leaf shinobi died at Shikaru's hands, _his _fault they'd lost Sakura to darkness. Shino blamed him everything that had gone wrong in the past few weeks, his anger blooming tenfold.

"He is my comrade," said Shino, "And shinobi don't let their comrades die." Shino sent his bugs out with the singular instruction of 'kill', intent on protecting Kakashi, even at the cost of his own life. Of course, this didn't truly work, much to Shino's dismay. The Uchiha simply put into use his right eye, the Sharingan eye, in order to confuse and terrify the bugs, sending them flying in all sorts of different directions. Shino knew that the Uchiha had used a simple, yet powerful genjutsu that would leave him without the bugs for countless hours.

That didn't matter to Shino at the moment. He merely took the moment that the Uchiha was preoccupied to pick up Kakashi and throw him over his shoulder, jumping up onto a branch and running through the trees that Obito had created with the Wood release; trying to get Kakashi as far away from Obito as possible. He knew he was no match for Obito by himself, and neither was Kakashi. But… possibly… if he could find Shisui and Shizuka… maybe they all could…

_Where are they?_ Shino thought frantically, not focusing on his sense of sight, but on his senses of smell and hearing. Usually, he would use his overly sensitive sense of touch, but as he really did _not _want to stop running; he didn't dare to. He knew he should—each movement he made his wounds bleed—but he really didn't have the time to focus on himself. Besides, if and when they could get to Shizuka, the boy could heal him.

_There! _Shino thought, eyes wide as his remaining few bugs helped him, smelling for the females he had left on Kiba and Akamaru. He was glad he had decided to do that—all too glad. He could smell the individual scents of the Uchiha and Shizuka. He felt so much relief that they had found each other, not really thinking about anything else. Fueling his step with chakra, he moved faster, hurtling like a bullet towards the small group.

Akamaru was healed more, which was made obviously apparent when the giant dog tackled him mid air, making him fly twenty feet into the ground, dropping Kakashi, who was caught by Kiba. Akamaru licked at Shino's face, dislodging his sunglasses. Usually, Shino would have been pissed. But, right now, all Shino could feel was absolute relief that they were alright. He laughed now, amused by Akamaru's happiness. A wholehearted laugh that made no sense on the battlefield, a wholehearted laugh Shino hadn't even known he had within him.

"Whoa, Shino can laugh," said Kiba with a tired grin, carrying all of Kakashi's weight. He walked Kakashi over to Shizuka, who watched on without speaking. He laid Kakashi down at Shizuka's feet, who blinked and looked up at him. "Can you… do you mind…?" Kiba wasn't sure how to go about asking the young boy for help with this, and so he pleaded with him with his eyes, begging him for help.

Shizuka nodded, getting onto his knees besides Kakashi. He pressed his hand to his forehead, taking in his temperature. Slightly warm, but that was to be expected. He would've been terrified if it turned out that Kakashi had managed to get a fever in thirty-or-so minutes. He carefully and skillfully pulled off the blood-soaked Jōnin's vest without sitting Kakashi up or slicing the hell out of it. He tugged up Kakashi's shirt enough to get a good look of the wound. "It's not very deep." He went into his pouch and took out a few tubes, immediately smearing the cream onto the wound and spreading it around. Kakashi winced, and Kiba could swear he saw steam rising from where Shizuka had spread the salves.

"Why can't you just use medical ninjutsu?" asked Kiba, watching Shizuka.

"Medical ninjutsu uses up a lot of chakra, Inuzuka-san," said Shisui, coming up from behind Shizuka and terrifying Kiba. "Shizuka has already used medical ninjutsu on you and Akamaru. I doubt he has enough chakra remaining to sufficiently heal Hatake-san, even if he wanted to." Shizuka nodded, remaining quiet as he dealt with treating Kakashi's wounds. Kiba frowned and looked down at the boy, who seemed almost hesitant about touching Kakashi. Shisui sighed and walked over to Kiba, tapping on his shoulder and signaling for him to follow. Once he was out of Shizuka's ear shot, he whispered, "Not even a full hour ago, Shizuka watched a man he wanted to save die due to injuries. As a shinobi that specializes in _saving _lives, especially one at his age; he's uncertain in his own capabilities to save and protect people at this point. He's hesitant to helping Kakashi. He's afraid that he can't do anything to help."

Kiba's eyes widened and he looked at Shizuka, who was placing gauze on top of Kakashi's wounds, taping them in place. He nodded, noting that Shizuka's hands moved with uncertainty and fear. He sighed and walked over to Shizuka, taking the gauze and tape out of his hands. Shizuka looked up at him, confused. "Not to rush you, but I think Shino needs medical attention. I know how to wrap up people very well. Just call me when you're done, and I'll finish up for you." Kiba was trying to be reassuring, though with his exhaustion and worry he knew he wasn't pulling it off very well. Shizuka, however, took it in stride, simply going over to Shino and beginning to pull out tubes of medicinal salves.

Shisui 'watched' the four chakra signatures intently, his own chakra flaring up. He knew that soon, they'd have to move, despite the fact that the copy ninja was incapacitated. He could tell by the way his chakra circulated throughout his body that he was in a form of shock. He hadn't expected Obito to be there, which was understandable; as far as Shisui could tell. He sighed, thinking about the powerful and cold chakra signature he'd 'seen' in front of Kakashi. Was that really his older brother? The older brother he'd been told was kind? Shisui's frown deepened. He had only the barest memory of Obito. His back. He remembered seeing his back as he told their parents good-bye for the last time. He'd been very young, the exact age he didn't remember. He'd felt fear, and he didn't understand why his brother was leaving.

Now he deeply wished he didn't. Maybe, if he hadn't, none of these things would have happened. Maybe he would have a happy, whole family. Maybe he could still have his eyes. Shisui sighed. _Why torture myself with wishes of something that cannot be achieved? _Shisui chastised himself, hanging his head. He brushed his fingertips against his face and sighed. His eye sockets were aching. They were probably slightly infected by now. They were incredibly sensitive to everything, especially since the chakra endings in his eyes were not properly closed. Every time he used his chakra, infections flared up like a bitch.

He heard a footstep, stealing him away from his thoughts. Without thinking, he allowed his chakra to flow, ready to defend these people. He had no weapons on him—needless, in his condition, really—and instead attacked with nothing but chakra; a weapon he could really 'see'. His chakra seeped out of his pores, sliding down his arm like sweat, moving purposefully towards his palm to form into three kunai knives, each one fitting between his fingers.

Not many can understand the intense training that Shisui went through in order to deal with his blindness. He didn't magically know exactly what to do, nor did he do it perfectly. When he wasn't running the clan or the music shop; he was training. He was doing the best to overcome the situation he had put himself in. He spent a lot of time working himself literally to the bone in order to be of some use to his clan, to protect them. It had been slow, and it had been hard; but it had been done. While he may only be limited to the senses of chakra transformed into objects, his range was great and far.

Having once had the Sharingan had done wonders.

_Another foot step. Upper right. Distance is sixty-five meters and two centimeters. Velocity needed to hit target is 90 meters-per-second. _Shisui had realized a couple of years ago that even though the Sharingan had been taken from him, the program that had awakened upon its first activation still existed in his head. It was that program that he had shifted his entire range of ninjutsu around, it was that program that had made it possible for him to walk around without tripping over absolutely everything all the time.

Shisui leaned back, building up power in his right arm, and then threw them with a grunt, knowing he had built up the speed necessary to hit the target. He 'watched' as the kunai flew through the air, hitting the correct mark, running through them as if they were made of air. He knew who this person was. The sight of them was now sending fear straight through his heart. "We have to go!" called Shisui, turning around. Kiba looked up (or so he assumed), with confusion running up and down his body. "Get Hatake up! I don't give a shit if Aburame isn't finished healing! We have to go, or we'll be killed!"

"At least you know your place, little brother."

Shisui cursed and created more kunai, throwing them at the man who'd moved so fast. He watched as Obito's body seemingly opened up around the kunai, allowing them to sail straight through. Confused, Shisui jumped back, trying to put as much distance between the two of them as humanly possible. _Too strong, _thought Shisui with a curse, _He's just too strong. So far beyond my level of ability… _

His heightened senses gave him a full range of 'vision', more complete than even the Byakugan. He could 'see' everything going on around him within a hundred feet, a good range for someone who couldn't really _see_ anything. He could see Kiba placing Kakashi onto Akamaru's back, trying to get them out. Shizuka put Shino's arm over his shoulder, supporting his weight. Shisui's eyes widened upon realizing that a root of a tree was arching up above Shizuka's head, moving to take him out. Shisui knew it was Obito—his chakra was laced through it. He didn't care how Obito could use a Wood release; nor did he care why. He just needed to protect Shizuka. He didn't know the kid well, but this was a kid that Shikaru had felt such strong remorse about killing. He didn't want his son to know that Shizuka had recovered, but had been killed almost immediately afterwards.

So Shisui made a sacrifice.

He jumped in the way, allowing the wood to slice through his shoulder and spill his blood all over the back of Shizuka's neck. His injuries weren't grave—he'd used his shoulder to push the root upwards, therefore changing its direction—and they also didn't hurt, really. They just lightly stung. He didn't know how, but he had been born with an almost impossibly high tolerance for pain. He could cut off his own right leg and not bat an eye (figuratively speaking, of course).

"Shisui-san!" said Shizuka, nearly dropping Shino. Shisui smirked. _Kind kid. _He thought back to Shizuka's compliments to Mari, when she had been panicking and worried. He'd given her the slightest bit of courage in that moment. Shisui placed a hand onto his shoulder.

"Go, I'll be fine," said Shisui, smiling down at Shizuka reassuringly. It was a failed attempt on his part, seeing as how the blood had actually kind of spurted, much like a geyser, covering the right half of his face and dripping down his body, soaking through the material of his dark jacket. Shizuka thought that he looked like he was on the brink of death. His dark glasses didn't act to reassure Shizuka any, either. "Take Kakashi and Aburame to safety. This is a fight you shouldn't be involved in."

Shizuka turned his head slightly and looked at Obito, who was smirking at them. His face was actually pissing Shizuka off. He gnawed at his bottom lip, fighting his anger. "No, I'm not ditching you to fight this bastard all alone," he said. If Shisui had the capacity anymore, he would blink. "He's gotta be the leader. If so, then… he's the one who made Shikaru kill so many people. He took our sensei. He made Hanabi cry." Shizuka let go of Shino now, eyes snapped wide open. Shizuka remembered the words he'd said to Sakura. 'You picked the wrong Genin troop to fuck with,' he'd growled at her, and he'd meant the threats he'd given to her.

He unsheathed his sword, which he hadn't even remembered picking up. He dropped the empty sheathe onto the floor, holding the hilt with both hands, eyes filled with fury. Obito smirked, amused by this boy's fire. "Shisui, you run around with such trash?" he asked, taunting the already-angered boy. Shisui looked at his brother, confused. "You have one who kills comrades and betrays promises. You have another one whose dog is as stupid as he is. You have this one who can't even keep his own teammates safe. And then you've got one who's lost all his bugs and therefore his protection." Obito chuckled. "You're an Uchiha, Shisui. You're better than these scums."

"They are all valued ninja of the Hidden Leaf, Niisan," whispered Shisui, walking slowly in front of Shizuka. Shino, who was managing standing on his own, grabbed onto Shizuka's shoulder and pulled him back and away from Shisui, much to the boy's protest. Shisui smirked—Shino was smart. "They are as valued as you are, Obito."

"If I were so valued, would I have been so easily left for dead?" asked Obito in a voice filled with such animosity that it made Shisui hurt for him. "I was left for dead by my own comrades, no less. Yes, I remember the days when I valued the village. Now… now all I want to do is crush the village. All I want is for its destruction. I'll rebuild it. I'll make it the way it's supposed to be. I'll make it into what it should be. No weaklings. No hatred. Nothing but love and strength." He held his hand out towards his younger brother. "Join me, brother. The entire clan will be with us there. Your beloved will be exactly the way you left her. Your son will smile at you. He will adore you."

Shisui's heart thumped in his ears. It sounded… enticing. He had memories of such a cold house, where he hardly ever saw his parents. After Obito 'died', it was like he could do absolutely nothing as they pushed themselves away from him. He could only figure that it was a way to protect themselves in the event that he might die, just like their oldest son. He'd never wanted it to be that way for Shikaru; but he gave him a hell of a lot worse. To be given a chance to fix it, to start over… it was seductive. And to have his perfect Amai back to the way he'd fallen for her… he gulped.

He began to reach out his hand…

And a cold blade touched his wrist. He flinched, 'looking' besides himself to 'see' Shizuka standing there, his chakra running chaotically through his frame. Obito frowned, annoyed by the presence of the weakling boy besides his brother. "You old farts and your regrets," said Shizuka, smirking despite himself. "Why do you get stupid with it? Don't you realize that fixing things doesn't necessarily mean that they get better?" He looked at Shisui, seeing the wistful look on his face. "You've gotta be stupid to think that your son would be very happy if you helped this monster, despite the fact that he's your family. He would never forgive you."

"Go away, trash," growled Obito.

"Fuck you, traitor," said Shizuka, playing with fire before turning back to Shisui. "If you go with him, you'll betray us all. You'll betray me, you'll betray Kakashi, Gaara, Shikaku, Hiashi… everyone. We'll never forgive you for it. Plus, you'll never forgive yourself, either. You don't betray your comrades, you old fart."

"Comrades," scoffed Obito, "Comrades are nothing more than an illusion. They don't truly exist. People are born hating each other, wanting to leg-up one another. They will destroy each other in order to become better, even if it means to destroy happiness. It is because there's no such thing as love in this world; no means to connect people together. Can't you see what I'm doing is the right thing? I shall bring love to our souls. We'll all finally feel completeness—"

"Shut the hell up," interrupted Shizuka in a low voice, shocking all parties that could hear him. Shizuka's eyes were aflame with anger. "Comrades are… the most important thing that a person can have. I don't know what Kakashi did to you, or what you think he did to you; that makes you think that way about humans, but allow me to tell you that… you're wrong. If it weren't for the comrades I've required, for the friendships we've forged together… then I wouldn't stand here. I'd still be that weak, terrified little boy who allowed people to beat the shit out of him. But I'm not. I'm a person who will give his life to protect that ideal… to protect his friends." Shizuka tightened his grip on the hilt and raised it from Shisui's wrist, bringing it in front of his face, holding it steady.

"So you're going to raise your sword at me?" asked Obito, anger flaring. "You're going to die for trash like Hatake Kakashi?"

"Yes," said Shizuka, assured, "And for Nara Shikaru. For Uzumaki Naruto. For Hyūga Hanabi, for Hyūga Hinata, for Hyūga Hiashi, for Sabaku nō Gaara, for Inuzuka Kiba, for Akamaru, for every Uchiha, for every lonely little bastard like me out there! I'll die to protect my comrades, if that's what it'll take!"

None too far away, not at all; Hatake Kakashi was beginning to compute what it was that everyone was saying, beginning to understand why Obito was doing this. He gritted his teeth, frustrated with himself for his own lack of prior understanding. From the sounds of things… Obito was doing this so he could be with Rin. He deduced that he must believe Rin to be dead. Kakashi didn't know how he came to think that way, and he also knew it didn't truly matter. He just knew he had to fix it—this deep misunderstanding, before it all became too late.

* * *

The roars were getting louder. They were spreading throughout the nations, terrifying multiple civilians. Shinobi ran through the streets, filing civilians into safe zones. Several rogue shinobi thought it good to take advantage of the situation and pillage multiple places. Even the roars had only been going on a couple of hours, people were already hearing stories about several villages going up in flames as missing nin took it upon themselves to bring harm to multiple innocents.

She watched the shinobi move with fascination and slight jealousy, wrapping her arms around herself as she leaned against her doorway. She knew she should've felt scared, but she just couldn't. She didn't know why she felt this way, but she had the feeling everything would be perfectly alright. Better than things were now, actually. She actually had a mild hope that things from her childhood would come back for her. She bit her lip and looked down, disappointed in her moment of weakness. _Lives don't fix themselves, _she chastised herself mentally.

"Rei-chama?" She turned around to see a little girl biting her lip anxiously, afraid. Shinobi didn't run through the village. In this village, ninja were more like wizards than anything, what with the capabilities of chakra. She had to smile at that—wizards were supposed to be good. So why were so many ninja bad rather than good? She crouched down next to the little girl, whose name was Tatsuki. Tatsuki had been abandoned as a small child by her mother. She'd immediately been brought to the orphanage of this village, where she worked as 'Rei'. "W-What's going on…?"

She smiled reassuringly and placed her hand on the girl's soft locks. "Go back and find Big Lady, huh? I promise, nothing bad will happen." Tatsuki nodded, reassured. She was always kind to these kids. Always truthful. She wasn't lying now. Everything would be fine. She knew it. She would make sure of it. She watched Tatsuki run down the hall, her eyes losing the softness, but her smile not faltering in the least. She would happily give her life to protect these little girls. She did have something to look forwards to on the other side, at the very least. She turned back around, looking up now at the sky rather than the shinobi. She could tell it was going to rain soon, despite the darkness of the night.

Nohara Rin let her eyes slide shut. "Obito," she whispered, allowing a tear to drip down her face.

* * *

Shikamaru and Suigetsu looked up at the Jūbi, biting their lip in mixtures of confusion, frustration, and overwhelming fear. The Jūbi was bigger than they had both thought, though at least Shikamaru's guess was within a sort of reason. But it wasn't the size that was getting to them; it was actually its aura. The aura made them want to tremble. They couldn't figure out what to do about the beast, especially since Shikamaru had identified signs of rapid maturity.

"Dammit," said Shikamaru, crossing his arms, "Why hasn't Kankurō gotten Hinata to _stop _already?" Suigetsu frowned, staring at the Jūbi.

"Can't we just cut it?" asked Suigetsu, empty gaze on his face.

"_THAT WON'T DO JACK SHIT!_" barked Shikamaru, frustrated more by Suigetsu's stupid question. "Besides, you try getting close to it! You can't! Its chakra scares you off if we go even a foot closer to it! We already tried getting close to it, remember, Suigetsu?" Suigetsu sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He really wanted to help, but being around things more sinister than himself tended to make him dumber and more afraid. Right now, regretfully, he was a little bit less than useless. He growled, frustrated.

"You come up with a better idea then!" he barked angrily.

"I don't have one! That's why I want them to get Hinata loose!" retorted Shikamaru, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, we can't just stand here, jackass! It just keeps getting bigger and bigger!" argued Suigetsu, pointing at it. "I mean, do you even think that Kankurō guy's even gotten that far? What if he was stopped? What if he was killed? You can't just rely on him!" He growled under his breath and suppressed the urge to slice something apart. He was worried. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried. He was worried about Neji, he was worried about Sasuke, and he was worried about Jūgo, who he still didn't know was alive or not.

Shikamaru watched him, knowing his reasons for frustration. "That's what having comrades are all about, Suigetsu," said Shikamaru with a tired sigh, "As troublesome as that seems you've always gotta rely on one another. Otherwise, it doesn't work. The system crumbles. And then things get more troublesome." He sighed again and went into his weapons pouch, hoping that it was there—it was. He pulled out a full pack of cigarettes and a half-empty match box with a half-smile. He popped open the package and pulled out a cigarette, putting it in his mouth and striking a match, lighting the end.

"You smoke?" asked Suigetsu, actually slightly unsurprised. Shikamaru kind of looked like a smoker to him, really.

"Yeah, sometimes. Do you want one?" He shook out a cigarette, holding it out for Suigetsu. Suigetsu shrugged and took it, placing it in his own mouth and allowing Shikamaru to light it up for him. He took a deep intake of breath, enjoying the nicotine. "Something tells me that you partake often."

"Not as often as I used to. Kinda cut back after I became a lab rat."

"Hn," responded Shikamaru, not thinking of something else to say, really, looking up at the Jūbi. He knew this was unusual, to be smoking and having a civil conversation in the face of a frightening, mindless demon. But, really, he couldn't think of anything else to do. Every time Asuma seemed aggravated and needed to think, he lit up a cigarette. Shikamaru's usual way of thinking wasn't helping him any, so he figured, what the hell—think like Asuma did.

Thinking like Asuma required him to let his mind drift, so he allowed it, thinking about situations that weren't even the present. He thought back to his father, whom he had grown up watching his back. He had grown up in his father's shadow, expected to become exactly like him. He had once asked his mother how high, exactly, the expectations were, and she had told him that he had stilled the Kyūbi.

That was nice, but not important at this juncture.

He remembered sneaking into the clan library one time when he was supposed to be asleep. As a kid, when he wasn't sleeping, wasn't watching the clouds, and wasn't playing Gō; he was reading and studying, expanding his knowledge with each letter, with each syllable. He liked the history books in the library, more so the old ones—the old ones were laced with mystery and some amount of drama. He remembered picking up a particularly dusty one that he had favored the most. _The Times of Hidden Whirlpool._

Interesting. Expand.

_The Times of the Hidden Whirlpool_ is not a dramatic thriller type of book. It was actually one of the first accounted Nara clan histories. It was the diary of Nara Orihime, a female Nara clan leader that had been long dead before his grandfather was thought up. It was through that story that Shikamaru learned that his heritage traced back to the Hidden Whirlpool village, as one of the Five Prestigious Clans of the village, next to the Uzumaki. It was through that story that he learned of one of the nearly lost capabilities of the Nara.

His eyes opened wide, and the cigarette dropped from his lip. "I know what we can do," said Shikamaru, stomping down on the burning cigarette.

"Great," said Suigetsu unenthusiastically, "What can we do?"

Shikamaru was fully and deadly serious now. "If Kankurō can't come through for us, then I'm going to take matters into my own hands. I'm going to rip Bijū off of Naruto's consciousness." Suigetsu now dropped his own cigarette onto the ground, mouth gaping in surprise. His mind just couldn't compute the stupidity and rashness of the suggestion. All he could imagine was that Shikamaru was physically rip apart the Jūbi and reveal a Naruto, though Suigetsu knew that this was probably stupider than what Shikamaru has actually just said.

"Excuse me, but what the fuck are you going to do, now?"

* * *

Neji half-carried Sasuke, largely dragging him, really. He'd tried carrying him with Shikaru before realizing the boy, while he was kind of tall for his age, was too short compared to Sasuke, a fact that had seemingly frustrated the boy to no end. Once one got past the bloodiness and fierceness that was Nara Shikaru, he was actually quite funny and amusing, really. Neji was more than happy to talk to the boy, who was only too glad to talk right back to him, even though his voice was still hoarse.

"What are you going to do when we get back to the village?" asked Neji with a light smile.

Shikaru's own smile didn't slip, despite his apprehension to going back to the village. "I'd like to get stronger," he admitted, "You know, after I fix all the damage I caused." His smile was light. "I'd like to get stronger so that I can stop the other guy in me from taking over. Maybe then I'll be normal."

"Normal's a relative word," said Neji, smirking.

"Yeah, I guess. But… I guess what I really want to do is show other shinobi that they can trust me. That's why I want to become Hokage when I get older. Everyone trusts the Hokage. The Hokage is everyone's hero. Everybody likes the Hokage." His smile widened to remember the Third Hokage. The Third Hokage had put a lot of faith in him. He'd seen it in the few months he'd known the man. Though he hadn't appreciated it so much then, he definitely appreciated it more now. 'You'll see, one day, Obito. You'll be everyone's hero,' the Third had told him, patting his head and laughing.

He remembered that the Third had never called him Shikaru. Instead, he'd referred to the other personality within him as Shikaru. Shikaru hadn't ever gotten the chance to ask, and he honestly wasn't curious. He was thinking about it. Senju Obito was the name he had been born with, wasn't it, really? Nara Shikaru was the name that had been manufactured. Once he thought about it, Senju Obito was really who he strived to be. Senju Obito had been born a kind little boy with a weird sense of humor. Nara Shikaru was an overly stressed, artificial boy with too much on his shoulders. He wanted desperately to lose that stress, that tension.

He wanted to be Senju Obito again. Not the separate personality, but the person he used to be.

"So you want to be a 'cool adult'?" asked Neji with a light chuckle.

Shikaru shook his head. "Nah," he responded, "I just want to be able to be myself." Shikaru wasn't sure whether or not Neji understood him, but he nodded wisely. Shikaru opened his mouth to elaborate, but a low groan from Sasuke effectively stopped their pleasant and peaceful conversation. They stopped moving, Shikaru grabbing Sasuke by the chin and yanking his head up roughly, uncertain if this was really Sasuke or if it was Madara.

The person cracked open an eye, glaring at Shikaru. "What the hell do you think you're doing, idiot?" he growled groggily.

Both Neji and Shikaru sighed in relief. "Yep, that's Sasuke," said Neji, smiling lightly. Sasuke groaned and pushed himself off of Neji, staggering until he was able to stand completely by himself. Shikaru held back his chuckles of amusement. _Yeah, that is Uchiha Sasuke_, he thought, watching him look around and take in his surroundings.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked finally, blinking blearily before he rubbed his eyes. "Why do my eyes hurt so much? Why are you guys covered in bruises? Why does my stomach feel like its on fire? Why aren't you guys answering any of my questions?"

"Maybe if you gave us enough time to answer one…" said Shikaru, crossing his arms over his chest. Sasuke blinked and nodded. He hadn't really realized how fast he speaking, obviously. "Naruto-sensei's status is… complicated, so I'm going to skip that one. Your eyes hurt because you were using a Rinnegan, according to Neji. We're covered with bruises because you beat the shit out of us. Your stomach feels like it's on fire for probably two reasons: I used the Rasengan on you, one; and two, you have Madara inside you, who's probably pissed that he got his ass handed to him and wants a rematch. Does that sum everything up?" Sasuke gaped at him, his jaw almost hitting the floor. Shikaru snickered, amused. "Yup. Yep, that summed everything up. Wouldn't you say that summed everything up, Neji-sama?"

"Yes, that summed everything up," responded Neji, crossing his arms over his chest. He kind of liked to see that the mighty like Sasuke fell.

Sasuke looked around. "W-Where's Jūgo…? Last thing I remember, Jūgo was carrying me away from that woman who sealed me up." Shikaru's smile fell, and he swallowed dryly; looking away from Sasuke. Both teenagers noticed the young boy's change in attitude immediately. Sasuke took a step towards the kid, conflicted in wanting to know and wanting to leave it alone. But what kind of person would he be if he didn't thank the person who tried to save him. "Shikaru," he said in an uneven voice, "Where's Jūgo?"

"Outside," he whispered, biting his lip. "I… I didn't get here in time to… help him. I... I'm sorry..."

"Bullshit," gasped Sasuke, stepping away. "Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!" He felt dirty. So indescribably dirty. He looked down at his hands, noticing that they were stained with blood in some spots. He'd killed before, but he'd never wanted to do it to someone he considered a friend. That wasn't the type of person he was. It made his stomach turn. He wanted to puke, but as he hadn't eaten anything of real substance for a while, all he could do was dry-heave. Shikaru's eyes filled with pity—he felt the same way when the other guy had taken him over. He took a step towards Sasuke, who looked up at him with wild eyes and stumbled back, fear in his features. Shikaru knew it wasn't fear of him, rather; it was Sasuke's fear of himself. "No… no! Get away from me!"

"Sasuke…" said Shikaru in a soft voice, reaching out for his cousin.

"NO!" screamed Sasuke, turning around and running with far more speed than Shikaru thought that Sasuke had at the moment. Of course, Shikaru really wasn't slow at all—he immediately tackled Sasuke to the ground, his lips set in a tight frown as he held his distant cousin down. He felt pain in his chest to see the regret in Sasuke's hysterical eyes.

"It's not your fault," he whispered, pressing his thumb onto the back of Sasuke's skull, "It's not your fault." He jabbed his thumb down hard on a soft spot in the back of Sasuke's head, forcibly putting the shinobi to sleep. "It's not your fault."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Of Humanity

**Okay. So. I finished this chapter. This is where some of my thinking got convoluted and probably doesn't make anymore sense. So I need people to review and tell me if they got it! Or tell me where they got lost! Then I can clear it up, hopefully, in the next chapter. So REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Give me ideas, give me opinions! I want to see where you guys think this story's going to go! It'll mean so much to me to see reviews on this. So, please, review? :P **

**Anyhow, lots of complicated human emotion, AS USUAL with this fic... does anyone think I'm not describing strength anymore? I thought I kind of was still, but right now I'm doubting myself a little... **

**To ****McKazekage****: no, they're not really brothers in the manga, I don't think. It didn't matter to me, I just thought it would make Shisui that much cooler, really; and it suited my purposes. And poor Sasuke? I don't even remember ever thinking poor Sasuke when something bad happened to him! But I'm glad I managed that type of response to that! :) **

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN NARUTO. (AND I FORGOT TO PUT HIM IN THIS CHAPTER AGAIN. OH, WELL, NEXT ONE FOR SURE, LOL!) **

**And here is the chapter. Enjoy, dear reader! **

The last thing Sabaku nō Kankurō remembered about his life before this moment was protecting his literally newly born nephew. As the only male son of the Fourth Kazekage, his nephew was being targeted for assassination. It was a tactic purely meant to scare the mother out of wanting to give the current Kazekage, probably the strongest shinobi in all of Sunagakure's time as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages; any more male heirs. They had tried to keep silent about the whole event—the birth—but, obviously, there was a mole somewhere. Within hours of Karura's labor, hired shinobi descended on the village, causing havoc in order to get to and kill the baby.

Sabaku was just glad that his brother-in-law had thought far enough ahead to get his infant daughter, Temari, out of the village. It allowed him not to worry about terrifying his adorable niece as he released the one-tailed chakra, allowing him to become Shukaku without him wrecking his mind. Sabaku had always had exceptional control over the maniacal beast, even getting sleep when other jinchūriki had been unable to. Of course, that did not mean to say that becoming Shukaku did not eat away at his chakra—because it did. When he became himself again, he nearly collapsed, exhausted. He just wanted to make sure Karura was okay.

He had looked up to see his beautiful younger sister, holding a crying baby with trembling arms, her own face filled with tears. He had forced himself to his feet, stumbling over to her. He pressed his hand against Karura's cheek, kissing her forehead. "Hey, sis. You look perfect," he had praised. His own gaze went downwards, down to the crying little boy squirming around in her arms. "And so does my nephew. Hi, baby," he had cooed, crouching down next to the child. "It's your Ojisan, little one." He kissed the baby's forehead, seemingly calming down the child. "I'm always going to protect you, you know, kiddo? Me and your Yashamaru-Ojisan will always protect you."

And then things went blank.

Sabaku wasn't an idiot. He knew he'd died. It was only logical. He hadn't been a good state, last time his memory checked; and the last time he'd been to Konoha, there hadn't been a Hyūga Hinata, though rumor had it that the Lord Hiashi and his wife were certainly trying for a baby then. So either he had been comatose, or he'd been killed. The latter was more likely—since when was the real world pure and raw subconscious? The only question he had was why he was there, in someone's head, really. What purpose did he serve in someone's dream?

"Can you tell me anything more about yourself, Hinata-chan?" he asked for the umpteenth time, desperately wanting to know more about this girl. He wasn't sure why he wanted to know so badly, but he really did. She was peculiar and interesting, and beyond that, she looked like someone he'd seen before. Memories of a shy little girl with cropped hair were in his head, though he didn't know why.

"N-No," Hinata whispered shyly, giving him a small smile before whispering, "L-Lord Kank…k-kurō."

"Dammit, Hinata-chan, don't call me that," said Sabaku with an embarrassed grin, closing his eyes, "Call me Sabaku. I'm damned proud of my name." He was born without a last name—not uncommon for his family. His family was a poor farmer's family in one of the windiest parts of the country. When he was a child, he discovered he had a particular gift for pulling sand out of the most unusual places—such as the field. He called himself 'Sabaku' because of this. He didn't really like his real name—he was named after some sort of puppeteer, an obsession of his father's—and thought Sabaku was a better fit for himself.

"B-But… you're the b-brother-in-law o-of the F-Fourth K-Kazekage," reasoned Hinata softly.

"I'm still just a shinobi, and, beyond that, I'm a jinchūriki," said Sabaku with a soft grin. "'Sides, I figure by your logic, I should be calling you Lady Hyūga, seeing as you're from that clan…" Hinata's eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes widened. "And you're about as disgusted with that prospect as I am! Hah!" Hinata blushed and looked away, pushing her index fingers together. He smirked. Her shyness was cute, but at the same time, it was semi-irritating. "Stop doing that poking shit, or I'll really call you Lady Hyūga!" Her hands automatically dropped to her side, and she smiled softly.

She opened her mouth to say more, but a sudden and shocking laugh ripped through the air, slightly terrifying the now-timid Hinata. Sabaku immediately recognized the laughter, and grabbed Hinata by the wrist and pulled her behind himself, seriousness lacing his features. While terrified, she did feel a slight bit of irritation, deep down, at Sabaku's attempt to shelter her, something she did her best to ignore. "Don't talk, alright, Hinata-chan?" he asked of her, turning his face slightly to tell her. Hinata looked in his dark purple eyes and nodded slightly. A memory of a boy with dark brown eyes flitted through her head before disappearing. It was the same look, Hinata knew. But she just couldn't place it.

"Is that Sabaku…?" asked a voice that sent shivers down Hinata's spine. "Who's the runt, Sabaku…? … **CAN I KILL IT**...?" Hinata made an 'eep' sound, pushing herself onto Sabaku's back, burying her face in the fabric of his rough jacket. Sabaku grabbed onto her hand and tightly gripped it, wanting to keep the girl safe.

"No," grounded out Sabaku in an equally intimidating voice, his purple eyes looking around for the owner of the voice. "Come out, Shukaku. I have questions, and I know you have the answers for me. I haven't got all day, Shukaku."

"On contrary, you have forever," said Shukaku back in a voice that could only be described as taunting him. Sabaku held back his anger, grinding his teeth together in frustration. He didn't know what was going on, or what happened with him, or what was even going on with the quivering little girl behind him; and one could hardly blame him for his rising anger. "But…" Sabaku's eyes widened a fraction to hear the sudden fatigue Shukaku held in his voice. That didn't sound like the demon tanuki he knew. "But right now, I need your help…"

Sabaku only tightened his grip on Hinata. "How do I know to trust you?" he asked, unbelieving of Shukaku.

"Have I asked you for help before?" responded Shukaku in the same tired voice.

"No, but maybe you have run out of tactics in order to get to me to do what you want," said Sabaku.

Shukaku chortled with laughter, and though stressed and tired; even Hinata could tell that he was highly amused by what Sabaku had just said to him. "Why do I need you to do what I want anymore, Sabaku…?" asked the Bijū from his unseen vantage point. "You're not my container anymore… I don't have one anymore!"

Okay. So he was dead. For how long? He wanted to know. He also really needed to know the reasons for his being there. He tightened his grip around Hinata's hand. "Tell me everything," he ordered in an abrasive voice.

"I will," said Shukaku, going back to his tired voice, "As soon as Kurama gets here with the kid." Sabaku's brow furrowed—Kurama? Who the hell was a Kurama? Sabaku sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of Shukaku until this 'Kurama' guy got there. He knew his Bijū well enough to know that. He let go of Hinata and motioned for her to sit down, him quickly following suit.

"Shukaku…?" whispered Sabaku, noticing that Hinata's face was downcast and sad. He had just gotten her mood up, and now she looked like she was ready to cry again. She pressed her hands against her ears, biting her bottom lip. He finally knew why she felt this way, and he didn't know how to explain it to her. "If you're going to make us wait for an unknown amount of time, the least you could do is lift up the influence of your chakra on her." He'd seen this before on an unknowingly incompatible jinchūriki from the Hidden Cloud. He couldn't believe he couldn't recognize it until now, on this girl, who definitely was _not _a jinchūriki.

"I can't," admitted Shukaku with a low grumble. "Neither can any of my siblings…"

Sabaku jumped to his feet, surprised by Shukaku's statement. "The other beasts are here?!" he asked. "Why?"

There was a low grumble of what Sabaku could only assume to be chuckling on Shukaku's part. "All in due time, Sabaku-san… when Kurama gets here." Sabaku growled under his breath and sat back down next to Hinata, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her closer to himself. She blinked through her tears and looked up at him, shocked by his forwardness. He smirked down at her.

"I know better than to trust someone I can't see," he said, shrugging. He rubbed her upper arms, noting that she was wound tight. "Relax I've got no interest in you, romantically speaking. I mean, you're pretty and all, but you're probably a teenager or something. I'm thirty years old." He smile widened. "Besides, a pretty girl like you has got to have some sort of boyfriend already. I don't impeach on someone else's things—not calling you an object of any sort, by the way."

Hinata blushed and looked down at her hands. "I-I… I d-don't know i-if I have a b-boyfriend," admitted Hinata quietly. "I d-don't b-believe I-I do. B-But I r-rem-remember s-someone else… I-I don't k-know wh-who…" She swallowed, her eyes brimming with tears, gnawing at her bottom lip. "Why c-can't I-I remember?" Hinata asked, the tears overflowing.

Sabaku stared down at her, frown on his face. He sighed. "It's just the chakra coming from the beasts," he told her in a soft voice, "It's overpowering every good memory you have and reminding you of every horrible one you have. It's a way they like to overpower whoever is controlling them and take over themselves. It's a dominance thing." He rubbed the top of her head. "Listen, kid; I dunno why we're here and why, but I'm gonna find out, and I'm gonna get you out. You hear me, Hinata-chan?" She nodded, wiping at her face with new vigor, even though the tears continued to pour. He smirked at her. Hopefully, whatever it was that was going on, he was making some sort of difference.

* * *

A tear drop dripped down the chakra-controlled Hinata's face. Kankurō stared at it, surprised by it. Hinata hadn't shown any sort of emotion (not that he could tell, anyways, her face was seemingly stuck in a semi-permanent beast's scowl) at all so far, and now there were… tears? The heat of the chakra faded just so slightly, leading to Kankurō to grow semi-curious and allow his hand to touch her cheek. It was still hot, but not as hot as before. Not burningly so. He grabbed her face with both hands now, surprising both people with him. "Hina-chan, are you there?" he whispered, searching her face. "Please, Hina-chan, wake up, please. I need you to come back to me, babe; love. I need you to stop this so we can all go home. Hina-chan, give me a sign that you hear me a little. Please. God, please."

Gaara gritted his teeth in irritation. He hated being useless, probably as much as Kankurō did; though currently his brother wanted to be there for Hinata as well. With the slightly weighted knowledge they'd received that day, he could understand why he found such a solace, though miniscule, in being near Hinata. Gaara had no such solace. He was worried beyond any sort of explanation or reason.

His sand surrounded him, acting in accordance to his feelings. He was so angry, angry that he couldn't be used towards anything. He needed to do something—anything! He pressed his finger against the tiny transmitting device. "Shino, do you copy me." He was met with silence, and his foul mood increased. Shino didn't ignore comms. He just didn't.

Something was going on out there, and what was worse, he wasn't being involved.

The question, Gaara decided, was whether or not he was going to go and find out.

* * *

Shizuka remembered clearly the first time he'd ever held that sword of Hayate's. He'd been very young, about only four years old at the time. Hayate was just home from a mission, and very exhausted; so he left the sword on the couch and paid the babysitter he had left his little brother with before going off to the shower. Usually, Hayate placed it in his room in a high place that Shizuka couldn't reach, but now it was just sitting on the couch, seemingly calling to him. Shizuka couldn't resist the temptation to pick up the sword. It was probably the heaviest thing Shizuka had ever held before in his life, requiring both his hands.

Any other child might've dropped it, but not Shizuka. No, he was always very careful with things, and he had a very good grip. He sat down, placing the sheathed blade on his lap, staring down at the heavy object in pure wonder. Hayate's sword was like looking at a really good toy, to Shizuka; though he did respect the sword greatly. Holding his breath, he wrapped his hand around the sheathe and gently pulled on the hilt, expecting it to come loose but finding himself unable to.

"Shizu!" came the sharp exclamation from Hayate before it was followed by multiple hacking coughs. Immediately, Shizuka dropped the sword back onto his lap and pushed it off of him, running to his brother. He was always worried when Hayate coughed like that. The coughs always got worse after missions. He reached up and placed his hand against his brother's bare chest, wanting to heal him.

"I'm sorry!" cried Shizuka as Hayate glared at him while he coughed. "I, I, I just…!"

"Shizu, you have no idea what you're doing with that!" scolded Hayate, pushing his little brother's hand away as he walked over to his sword where it laid on the ground. He sighed in relief, apparently glad that his brother hadn't managed to open it. "I tell you not to touch it because it's dangerous! It's no toy! It's a weapon, Shizuka, don't you understand that, a weapon!"

"I know! I'm sorry!" Shizuka had said, trembling. He was only slightly irritated at the prospect of being yelled at by his peers, but it made him feel like he was like dirt when Hayate was yelling at him, especially with his coughing. Hayate could not afford to be short of breath. His brother audibly sighed, his footsteps making dull thudding sound against the wooden floor. He put his hand on top of his brother's head. Shizuka looked up, still crying.

Hayate didn't smile at him, but he wasn't mad. Shizuka couldn't tell what this was. "Shizu, this sword is held by men who are no good but do good. I can't explain this for you. The men who hold this sword don't live to be old. It's a sacrifice we make in order to protect the ones we care for. You're not ready to hold this sword."

Shizuka looked down at his hands. "D-Does… does that mean that someday…"

"I don't know," sighed Hayate. "But… if and when that day comes, Shizuka… you'll understand why you want to keep other people from holding this sword. It's a burden like none other."

Shizuka hadn't understood until his fight with Obito what he had meant by his words—Hayate didn't just say anything for absolutely no reason, after all—and when he did understand, he felt its full weight. His movements were not his own, he knew it—he didn't know how he was making these movements with this blade, he didn't understand how he just _knew_ these ninjutsu techniques with it, didn't know how he suddenly figured out how to meld his chakra with the blade. It didn't make any sense to him how he could just figure these things out, these complicated techniques that he had seen pictures of Hayate being capable of doing but he had figured would take years of practice.

Well, it didn't make sense, but at the same time, it did.

The sword was downloading a program. There was no other explanation or justification in his mind for what was going on. The sword was acting completely on its own whim, simply using his chakra and body for its own leisure; at the same time dependent on him. It was literally his will that kept the blade going. His need to protect whomever he called his comrade was what had him moving.

Though he didn't show it, it was both terrifying and amazing him, what the sword was doing to him. The latter because this was an amazing feat, in and of itself—a sword with almost complete autonomy due to an amount of chakra of its own for it to call upon—but the former because this was not a natural thing, what it was doing; and he had a sick feeling it would come back for him later. He wondered to himself how long Hayate could go using it—hours? He'd been using it for hours already—he'd used the damned thing to run all the way to this point. There had to be a time limit—energy like chakra is not infinite in its amounts.

He was worrying if he was closing in on this point.

"Shizuka, duck!" screamed Shino, making Shizuka snap back to reality. He did exactly what the older man told him, avoiding the living wood that was motioning to attack him. Shizuka was covered from head to toe in pure sweat, his breathing heavy. Already, he could feel fatigue creeping on his body. The sword didn't allow this to touch his muscles, but his mind could feel it right now. There was an end to this, for sure.

He just needed to hold out as long as he could.

He yanked a kunai knife embedded in the hard rock that Obito had managed to create wood out of. "Kiba, take it!" he yelled, throwing it up in the air over his head, thankfully the canine-like shinobi intercepted it before it could make its downward descent back at him. As soon as Kiba's feet touched with ground, he threw it at Obito, who did his best to dodge but could only do so much. The kunai skimmed against him, giving a shallow cut on his shoulder.

"More, more; keep going!" ordered Kakashi, the tomes of his Sharingan spinning as he kept moving, constantly reading and adapting to the situations of the battle at hand. Shizuka pushed himself back up to his feet, not letting go of the sword for even a millisecond. "We haven't done nearly enough! Nobody falls back!"

Shizuka pushed forwards at the same time of Shisui, watching the blind man's movements intently as the sword downloaded more programs into his head, telling him exactly what else to do and how they would go about doing it. Somehow, the sword knew of all of Shisui's capabilities, as well as Kakashi's, Kiba's, Akamaru's, and Shino's. Shizuka could only relate the thing to a type of Sharingan. It was probably the Gekkō family's imitation of such a powerful technique; Shizuka had read in school that many of Konoha's oldest shinobi families often tried to imitate the kekkei genkai.

Shisui formed his chakra into a solid kunai. The first time he'd noticed that, it'd been creepy. But now, he found it interesting and actually something to watch. It was fun to see how Shisui would work with their techniques, even with his own growing list.

_Add fire to blade, as well as wind. Same moment. _Shizuka didn't know the Wind release before this moment, but with the scary amount of data the blade was giving him, he suddenly felt like a bona-fide expert in the subject. The steel began to burn bright with powerful flames that Shizuka hadn't even known was possible. He knew that the term for this release was a 'Scorch Release'.

Yes, the blade was definitely scary, he decided; especially since it was giving him instructions for killing.

Shizuka allowed Shisui's kunai to come almost out of Obito to swing the blade, not expecting to cut through Obito—just to get him a little. This was exactly what he achieved, much to his own relief and Obito's anger. Obito was getting infuriated by this little boy playing ninja. He recognized the sword as Gekkō Hayate's, someone he attended the Academy with. It was vaguely surprising to see this kid hold that sword in his hand. Obito didn't know of the katana's power, but what he did know was that Hayate was formidable with it. He'd gone undefeated during the Chūnin exams with it, after all.

Obito pressed his hand against his fresh, painful new wound, backing away from the child. If it had been to his right side, he wouldn't have minded this so much; but it had been to his left, and it was painful. It wasn't bleeding, or, at the very least not human blood; but it was simply that the left side healed slower than the right. He cursed, irritated at how they had managed to figure out how to get past his Sharingan. This wasn't how this battle was supposed to be going, but, yet… it was. He knew he was losing. They knew he was losing.

It shouldn't matter to him, really, now that he thought about it. He was simply biding his time for the Jūbi to mature. Besides, every moment they wasted on him was a moment that Hinata lost herself further, a moment that Naruto was losing himself as well. But he would still enjoy the idea of feeding Kakashi to the Jūbi. Maybe he'd add this annoying brat, too. It would be interesting to see who would eat the other first in order to survive.

"Ah, Kakashi, you don't know how good this feels!" said Obito with a new, wide grin, throwing the silver-haired male off of his balance slightly. "How good it feels to fight you!"

"I don't want this," growled Kakashi through gritted teeth, lunging at Obito. Obito didn't even bother going to another dimension—he parried, bringing out a kunai of his own and clashing it with Kakashi's. Kakashi looked to be in pain, something that made Obito's heart swell, and he couldn't distinguish if it was pain or pride making him feel that way. Internally, it infuriated him that he was confused—Kakashi drove his hand through Rin, their precious teammate and the love of his life, for Chrissakes—so why was he feeling pain for hurting Kakashi. Despite his own slight emotional turmoil, he grinned evilly at him, his teeth sparkling. "Obito, listen to me!"

Obito assumed automatically it was apologies. Confusion disappeared instantaneously. "I don't want to fucking hear it," he growled through his teeth, his grin slipping into a snarl as he tried to punch Kakashi in the face. His old rival easily dodged, attempting to kick out Obito's feet from underneath him. Obito pushed away, avoiding the trip-up with ease. Kakashi was nothing to him now, not anymore. "It was your job to protect her, Kakashi," Obito finally said angrily, for the first time admitting out loud that he was hung up on a woman.

Kakashi closed his regular eye for a moment, leaving the Sharingan open. "I know, Obito," he responded with a sigh. "But… do you really think that she would want you to do this?" He opened his dark gray eye again, pleading with him. "Obito, think about this. You're fighting against your friend, and you're fighting against your own brother. Beyond that, you're fighting against your village."

"I don't have any affiliation with the Leaf," growled Obito angrily, growing tired of the conversation. He was fully aware that the moon was almost at the point he needed it. The Jūbi should be close to ready by now. He knew that the beetles that the Aburame had could feel this, as well as that annoying dog that the Inuzuka had. Hayate's little brother took a step forwards, tightening his hold on the sword. "You're no friend, Hatake; not to anyone. You proved that when you killed Rin."

Shisui could tell that Kakashi was trying to get through to Obito, but even Shisui knew that whatever made his brother _his brother _simply refused to respond. Not that it was dead; but that it was just so damaged by life and what it had given to him. Shisui couldn't blame him. From his few memories of his early childhood, and they were _few, _Rin was a kind girl with a pretty smile. He had also attended her funeral, made into a very public affair.

If this entire thing was about one girl, then Shisui felt better a lot better about the way he had handled his own love going off the reservation.

Shisui stepped forwards, managing to garner Obito's attention. Though he was blind, he could feel the hateful glare his brother fixed him with. He didn't mind. "Shisui," bit out Obito, "This is your last chance to join us. Think about it, Shisui—wouldn't you like to see again?"

He would. There was no point in saying he didn't, because he did. Being blind sucked a lot of the wonder about a lot of things, such as the seasons. Being blind meant he couldn't appreciate a fireworks festival, couldn't appreciate the petals on a sakura tree falling to the ground, couldn't appreciate the first snow of winter. He missed out on the things he had enjoyed in his younger years. He nearly smirked at the fact that he considered his years of sight his 'years of youth' when he really wasn't all that old. The humor was knocked out by his remembrance that while he had loved sight, he simply loved his world more—loved his son more. He couldn't just steal his son's freedom just for a petty, selfish thing like eyesight. As a father, it was his job to provide opportunities for his son.

"I'd rather die than betray the Alliance," responded Shisui confidently.

Obito nodded. "Very well." Shisui heard a very distinct sizzling sound—exploding tags? When had Obito the time to set those up… and how long had they been up? It didn't matter. Shisui's brows rose as he located the chakra-activated bombs, searching for who would be in the most danger from blast areas. No one in the type of situation that Obito was in put bombs up in a perfectly circular manner, and thankfully this hadn't changed. But he did put them in areas that had the ANBU within him nodding respectfully.

Not a one of them was out of blast radius, with the exception of his own self, which explained why Obito had given him a second chance so randomly. Shisui turned around and barked the order. "_RUN!_"

And then the bombs exploded.

* * *

The loud explosion made Shikamaru want to turn his head, but he couldn't. He wanted to inquire about it, too, but he really just couldn't. If he did, he risked losing complete and total concentration, and that would not be a good thing at all. If he lost concentration with the technique he was trying for, then all hell would break loose. He was already having problems with concentration as it stood at that moment, gritting his teeth in frustration as his shadow-formed hand inched its way up the Jūbi's larvae-like body, making its way to its one large eye. He hadn't underestimated anything about the chakra usage or the strain of the jutsu, but it still surprised him slightly that he already felt so fatigued.

Nevertheless, he pressed onwards. He had no time to waste on pitying himself. He had no time to waste on trying to think of another plan. This already _was _another plan, and he was, frankly, running out of brain power in order to think of another plan. Things were seemingly depended on him right now, as much as he hated to admit it.

"Suigetsu," he grounded out, feeling like he was reaching the limits of his shadow now, "I need more darkness. Do another one."

"Fine," said Suigetsu, picking up the make-shift flashlight they'd formed out of one of Shikamaru's ninja packs and his sword, changing its position in the room so that Shikamaru's shadow would have more to travel. When Shikamaru had described it, he had managed to come to the distinct conclusion that this was not something a Nara should attempt on his lonesome. Yet, here he was, doing so. Suigetsu had tried arguing, but to no avail. Shikamaru was hell-bent, and Suigetsu was forced to help him.

_Goddamn Sonovabitch is gonna die because of this shit and he won't let me even fucking stop him or even fucking listen to what I'm trying to fucking say, fucking motherfucker… _The sounds of footsteps from one of the hallways interrupted his thoughts. He frowned, looking up to see Shikaru with Neji, the Hyūga carrying an unconscious Sasuke. Shikaru already looked like he had been asked to kick a puppy, but now seeing his cousin under so much stress looked like it was tipping him over the head.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING SHIKA_MMMM_!" Suigetsu had slammed his hand down on top of Shikaru's mouth, shutting him up. Shikaru glared at Suigetsu, grabbing at his hand. Suigetsu glared right back. Hero or not, he didn't take kindly to people giving him those looks when he attempted at being helpful. It was just not nice.

"He won't listen to you; don't bother," he hissed at Shikaru, "I've already tried."

"Is that… Shikaru…?" panted out Shikamaru. "And I need… shadow!"

"Fine," said Suigetsu, slightly irritated. He grabbed the hilt of the sword again, changing its position. He nodded his head towards Shikaru, gesturing for him to try if he wanted. Neji busied himself by putting down Sasuke carefully, trying not to stress any of his injuries.

Shikaru crouched down next to Shikamaru. "What're you doing?" he hissed, not wasting any time.

"Helping…" said Shikamaru, watching his shadow intently. Ah, yes, this was definitely the right amount of darkness and light that he needed. It was helping him greatly. He was almost at the eye now! He almost smirked. He'd never thought that his ancestor's book would have any type of application towards the now, but he was thankful to see all his learning hadn't been for naught. He just wished he had the recommended eight Nara clansmen to do this. This felt like it was killing him.

Anyone else besides him would tried to stop him. Anyone else besides him would've told him that he didn't need to. Shikaru sighed, wishing he could've been that type of kid. But the truth was, since nothing looked like it was getting done and the Jūbi was definitely maturing, Shikamaru had to do this. He bit his lip and swallowed any argument he could've made. "What do you need me to do…?" he asked softly. "I think I have chakra left to make shadow clones and help out."

"We also have Neji… right…?"

"Right," responded Shikaru.

Shikamaru nodded. "I'm going to try and pull out the One-Tails. That should be enough to unravel it, I think. So, I need somebody to find a sealing scroll, or even someone we can use to seal the One-Tails in… I think we're alone out here… get Neji… to look…"

"On it," responded Neji from across the room, surprising Shikaru slightly with his attentiveness. Neji ran to where he had entered in the hideout earlier, activating his Byakugan there so he could see more. His brow furrowed. "Ah… how far back was the tree line when we came in, _Shikamaru_?" Suigetsu blushed slightly at the specification that Neji made, and Shikaru raised an eyebrow.

"Ah… I dunno… pretty… far… more shadow…"

"It's not anymore," said Neji. "It's extended outwards, and it's literally teeming with chakra. There are… there are people in these trees. From the looks of things…" Neji squinted now. "They seem to be Alliance. From the uniform, they're mostly Sunagakure shinobi, which probably means that Gaara is here somewhere."

Shikaru stood up. "I'll find him," he said confidently.

Neji frowned. "You're exhausted."

"I have the chakra; and I have a few more soldier pills, I think," said Shikaru. "I can't just sit around doing nothing, Neji-san. I've got to help. This is partially my fault, anyways. Besides, out of everyone here, I'm probably the fastest, without chakra supplement." Neji sighed; Shikaru was correct. He didn't like it, but he was right. "Right now, Shikamaru needs someone to feed him chakra. You have very fine chakra control, Neji; do you think you can try to give him some?"

Neji rubbed the back of his neck. "I can try, surely," he responded slowly. "Shikaru…" He wanted to try to talk him out of it, but he knew he would get nowhere. "Send out at least one shadow clone to search that forest line for Gaara. If I've figured out the Kazekage correctly, however, he'll be where Kankurō is. Still, doesn't bring harm to check, to look for any survivors that can help us out here as well."

Shikaru nodded, making the hand seal to form a shadow clone. Shikaru knew he had to spare chakra, so he only created one. But even that had his heart pounding painfully in his chest, telling him he really shouldn't have created _any _shadow clone at all. He didn't know how Naruto managed it all the time! "I'm sorry," he said, "But I'm cutting it fine as is."

"It's fine," said Neji, nodding. "Just be careful with your chakra." Shikaru nodded, sparing his cousin one last look before giving a pleading look to Neji. Neji nodded, giving him a tight, terse smile. Shikaru now looked at Suigetsu, his throat tight.

_Will he have the same reaction as Sasuke did? _Shikaru wondered. He wanted to keep it secret, but really, that would just be cruel to Suigetsu.

He deserved to know.

Suigetsu stared back. "W-What…?" asked Suigetsu. "God, tell me there's nothing else bad right now!" Suigetsu knew this was in vain, however. He could tell by the look on Shikaru's face that he did have something bad to say. "Can it at least wait? I mean, until we're out of the near-death experience that this moment is?"

Shikaru decided he needed to blurt it out if nothing else. "Jūgo-san's dead, Suigetsu! I'm sorry!" Suigetsu's eyes widened at the preteen, disbelieving of his words. Shikaru looked away from him, running off instead in the opposite direction, running down one of the hallways. The clone had already darted out of the hideout, bee-lining for the woods. Neji watched Suigetsu, gauging his reaction. Suigetsu swallowed dryly and looked down at his sword.

"S-Suigetsu…" whispered Shikamaru, who had listened in for that much, at least.

"What, you need more shadows?" asked Suigetsu, dazed.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Neji, knowing what Shikamaru was thinking.

Suigetsu nodded slowly. "Yeah. I don't have the time now to grieve for him. 'Sides, he'd be pissed at me if I got sad now while we're in the middle of saving the damned world. So, Shikamaru… more shadows?"

Shikamaru swallowed. "More shadows," he agreed softly. His mind flitted to one more thought before he refocused himself: _I forgot Shikaru's birthday. What a crap gift he's getting this year._

* * *

"Father, please!"

Hyūga Hiashi knew upon becoming a parent that he would have to deny his daughters a lot of what they wanted in order to better them. He also knew they would probably see him as selfish and cruel for doing so, but he'd much rather they think that then watch them harm themselves. When it came down to it, Hiashi had learned he had to take up the job of both a mother and a father; and it made his ruling a lot harder due to the fact that he had no wife to sway his opinion. Not that it would matter, in this moment, anyways. He had no doubts that if his Suki were to be alive, she would agree with him in a heartbeat.

"No," repeated Hiashi with a sigh, much to the obvious distaste of his youngest child. He knew that Hanabi was a fully capable kunoichi when she put her mind to it, and her abilities with the Gentle Fist were better than most. Logistically speaking, she should be helping. But as a father and as also one of the leaders of the Konoha leg of the Alliance; he couldn't have her fight—she was not in good health.

"Father, I'm fine!" she argued, her small frame trembling with fury.

"You're not," he responded, "Just stay here."

"I have to find Shizu!" she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Someone took him! He's injured! Someone needs to find him!"

"I got a report some time ago from one of Aburame Shino's bugs. Apparently, Shizuka was in good health. I don't know how, but he's fine, and he's not kidnapped."

"He still needs my help! You need my help! I'm a shinobi; dammit, I'm a soldier! A soldier fights for their leaders!"

"You're not just a soldier, Hanabi, none of us are. We're people as well. I'm not letting any critically injured fight right now. You should be on the medications right now. I told you, Hanabi, they will benefit you."

"I don't give a fuck about my benefits!" she screeched. Hiashi slapped her in the mouth.

"I'm still your father. You don't curse at me," he said coolly, grabbing her by the chin and turning her head. Apparently words of reason weren't getting to his daughter, so he needed to make her a little fearful instead. Hyūga males were definitely good at that. Hanabi, though, was made of harder stuff than that; glaring up at him. "Hanabi, the only Genin in Konohagakure we've made any exceptions for is Shizuka in this fight. You were on medical leave from duty well before any of the battle even started, and now your leave has been extended due to this new… situation. Right now, you're easily fatigued, and you were coughing up blood. As a general I'd have to be a moron to let you fight, as a clan head I'd have to be an absolute bastard to sign off on you fighting, and as a father I'd have to be a failure for allowing you to go to fight. It's like I'm asking for you to get killed, and that's the last thing I want." He let go of her, noticing her lip was bleeding slightly from the slap. He looked up at Kō, who had remained calm and collected despite Hiashi's physical violence with Hanabi. It was nothing that Kō hadn't seen before. As a Hyūga, a member of a clan of fighters; he'd come to accept that sometimes a parent had to hit their child in order to remind them who exactly was the parent in their relationship (sometimes, the children did get cocky with their abilities). "Take Hanabi back to her room and make sure she is _heavily_ guarded. I won't take lightly to hearing that she ran off and got herself slain on the battlefield. Do I make myself clear?" Kō nodded wordlessly, grabbing Hanabi by the arm and tugging on her.

"Father, I can help," she whispered, still glaring.

"I know," said Hiashi, "But I won't have you help at the cost of your life."

"You asked that of Shizuka," she responded quietly, looking away, "And Neji is doing that, too. I bet you'd even let Hinata. So what's the difference with me?"

"The difference with you," sighed Hiashi, looking away from his daughter, "Is that it's not their internal organs that are mutating into wood." He heard Hanabi suck in a breath, and Kō took her surprise at Hiashi's bluntness to his advantage, pulling her out of the room with no argument. Hiashi looked out the window of his study, watching the remaining shinobi ready the compound for the worst.

It was a genetic problem; he had found this out shortly after Suki's death. She had hidden the condition very well from him with series of pills and injections that Hiashi had never seen until he had to clear out everything from her personal desk. Apparently, Suki had the condition since she was around Hinata's age, but Danzō—the evil genius—concocted medicines for Suki's use in order to keep utilizing her skill set. It apparently only affected people of Suki's line who couldn't use the Wood release. It meant that while they had the ability, it was recessive and therefore underlying; whereas in Hinata it had been a dominant trait of hers. But since these people still had the Wood release, it acted to slowly rip apart their bodies.

That was what was happening to Hanabi. Her incident with Neji had acted to jumpstart this genetic problem early within her, starting with her lungs. From the x-rays, Hiashi could also tell that the problem was also in her liver and kidneys as well, which was why she had coughed up blood. The leftover medicines from Suki hadn't expired at all, which would usually give Hiashi pause for reason but now, he didn't question it. He simply force-fed the correct amount to Hanabi and gave the rest to the medical shinobi, telling them to replicate the formula.

He needed more.

He simply refused to lose another person he cared about.

His thoughts drifted to his other daughter, Hinata. He had thought she'd do something important with her life. He'd never dreamt that it was on this magnitude, or had as great as a reaction as this. He'd also never dreamt that she would be on the wrong side of this, by choice or not. He didn't know what would happen, or what could happen. But he just knew that with the type of shinobi Hinata had managed to get behind her, this would not have an unhappy ending.

* * *

Only the good die young, according to sayings used by old people. With that in mind, Shikaru figured that people that were just like him—monsters—would live forever. He knew this wasn't a good thing, but it was the way of the world, and he was coming to accept it. But, the oncoming question was now, what made a bad person _a bad person_? What was the qualifier for this kind of thing? A bad person was a title placed upon opinions, not a judgment of fact. Case in point—he believed himself to be a bad person, but others often told him this wasn't the case. That was an opinion, he knew. He figured that the family members of the people he killed would say he was a bad person. But, really, what made a person bad? Humanity, while it had its faults, was made of some sort of goodness. No one was really bad without reason; and even then, were they really bad—or were they an anti-hero?

Shikaru didn't believe Obito was bad. From what he had found on Uchiha Obito from the data books, he was a kind man to all, caring about everyone. He helped old ladies carry their groceries, for Chrissakes', and cried when his comrades were hurt; and would obviously die to protect them. No matter what happens to a person, none of that can really just _disappear. _Pasts are what make people who they are, simply enough; and pasts can't be erased. Gone, but not gone at the same time.

Shikaru wanted to get through to Obito. Maybe, just a little bit. He wanted to show him that what he was doing, it wasn't necessary. Maybe he just forgot a little of the good humanity was. He knew that he'd forgotten, for a long time. Then these Leaf shinobi—as ridiculous as they may be sometimes—showed him that it wasn't true. In the back of Shikaru's mind, he figured maybe he was being childish about it; maybe he had a romantic view on humans, ironically so for a little serial killer like him. But, in the grand scheme of things, Shikaru knew it didn't matter. He just knew he had to get through to him.

Which was why, when he was sure none of them noticed, he made the clone head up for Kankurō, and his real self run for the high, slightly smothering chakra levels that had to be Obito. He didn't know what he would find, and he didn't know how he came out of it. He didn't care. All he cared about was helping that last bit of family find some sort of resolution, some sort of end for his suffering.

And he had just the solution for such a thing.

**Don't forget to review! :) **


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Of Care

**LOTSA WORDS IN THIS ONE, EH? LOL. It used to be longer, but I figured you guys can't handle 10K+ words. **

**McKazekage****: thank you for your compliments :) And it may just be because I have way too much time on my hands. I don't truly know... ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: hehe, thanks for that :D **

**Next chapter starts. I don't own Naruto. **

Obito thought that his battle was done. Sure, he wouldn't be coming out of it unscathed like he had really wanted—with a master planner like Kakashi on their side, he'd have to be a moron to actually think he could possibly get out of it unscathed. But he actually went as far to believe he could actually kill them with something like paper bombs. True, he had done his best to hide the explosives, and he had thought that when Kakashi hadn't smelled anything, he'd won gold. But he should've remembered that Kakashi wasn't alone.

Sand wrapped around each of his opponents' ankles, quickly running up their bodies and encasing them before his bombs went off. He wanted to use that moment to run, but at the same moment, the shinobi responsible for the sand used it like a whip; striking out at him. Obito gritted his teeth as the sand ripped sleeve. He'd managed to avoid the worse, but it still cut him, and it _hurt_.

Gaara glared down at the scene before him, perched on the branch of a tree, frowning. He'd made a split-second decision in coming here. His indecisiveness had almost cost them all their lives, a fact that was fueling his anger and making him want to slaughter _that man_ instead of blaming himself.

As soon as the smoke cleared, he allowed the sand to crumble off of his allies. He hadn't known the blast radius of the bombs, but apparently the amount of sand he had wrapped around their bodies was more than sufficient, as none of them seemed to even crack when the bombs had gone off. Of course, he hadn't been thinking about quantity of sand, but only realized that he had possibly given them too much when Shizuka gasped for air, coughing up leftover sand.

Shizuka coughed up more sand and wiped his mouth, mostly to wipe the remaining sand from his lips, but partially to hide his bottom lip's quivering. The katana's drain on him was beginning to get to him, but he couldn't let anyone see it. He gritted his teeth, steeling himself. Normally, he would've expressed that he had reached his limit, and would be useless. But something about this was different, somehow. He just couldn't admit that he was feeling physically unwell. He would feel like he was failing comrades.

"How're you here, kid?" Gaara asked him in his rough voice, not allowing curiosity to lace his voice. Shizuka looked back at him, frown on his face.

"It's a story," he responded, not wanting to speak. Gaara gritted his teeth but decided to say nothing about the response he'd gotten. In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't help him now to know the answer.

"Gaara," said Kakashi once he was able to move his legs, freed from the sand. He jumped onto the branch, landing besides Gaara. "How did you know…?"

"Didn't," responded Gaara, his anger growing upon Kakashi's assumption that he somehow knew what was happening. "I barely made it."

"A moment later, we would've been dead," Kakashi responded, not splicing words. "A thanks is still in order, Gaara. But now isn't the time for thanking you, no offense." He observed the shinobi within his group with his Sharingan, observing their chakra levels, frowning upon realizing that Shizuka's was particularly low—about-to-drop-dead-low, in fact. His eyes narrowed. The katana was taking Shizuka's chakra and energy faster than his body could replenish it. It was, in a way, much like Kakashi's Sharingan—a double-ended sword. "Are you going to stay and help us fight?"

"Yes," said Gaara with a nod, his jade eyes betraying no emotion. He didn't give his reasons, which was simple: the man was fucking with his _life_. Just last week he'd been happy, because his family was whole and completely happy. Now he was an angry Kazekage with a gimpy older brother who had a girlfriend being swallowed by hatred, as well as an unwed pregnant older sister who had a boyfriend who happened to be the heir for the Nara clan. Political negotiations for _that_ one would be a bitch, due to the fact that Temari was the official ambassador of Suna, and Shikamaru had obvious obligations towards Konoha. He was also sure he'd have to pay for damages, reconstruction and possibly a wedding. And, oh, the paperwork… He wouldn't even _touch _the idea of Kankurō's physical therapy, which he would definitely need.

With the amount of bullshit being handed to him in the past week, he felt he deserved to kill someone. He'd been a good Kazekage, hadn't he? Didn't he deserve to slaughter someone? Gaara groaned internally, realizing he was thinking about himself not only in the third person, but also as a pet. He refocused his energies on his growing hatred of the leader of the Akatsuki. "What're your plans to take him out? I have my methods, but I believe I was told once they're rather… _messy._"

"We're not killing him," responded Kakashi quietly as Kiba and Shino started their assault.

Gaara's eyes widened. "Why _not_?" he hissed. "He's a criminal. Criminals get killed. Logic."

"They also get trial first," said Kakashi, flicking a glance at Gaara. "As a Kage, I would've assumed that you'd wanted him alive for interrogations or torture."

"No," said Gaara with a frown, "What I want is to spill his blood across the entire fucking forest."

Kakashi frowned. "He doesn't really have 'blood'…"

"I'll spill whatever he has to spill. I'm not picky," said Gaara with a shrug, his sand gathering into a cloud and coming underneath him, picking him up off of the branch of the tree. Kakashi watched him carefully, understanding his need to kill, but also knowing that it was happening over a simple misunderstanding. He swallowed. He needed to get to Obito. He needed to explain to Obito what had really happened eighteen years ago. What had happened to Rin.

It was one of the last few moments of the war that Kakashi had personally gone through. At this time in the war, medical ninja were getting scarce, hard to come by, especially medical ninja like Rin. Rin was one out of a possible ten excellent medical nin, and those ten were stretched thinly. Rin wasn't at Konoha very often anymore, instead running around the front, always guarded by one or two ANBU when available.

On the way between fronts, Rin had been kidnapped. Kakashi had been assigned with several to find her. It had been a good month until they had found her, and they had only found her due to the fact that Kakashi had a good nose and could easily identify the smell of blood. Rin was in a worse shape than he had imagined—he'd thought that Rin would not refuse treatment to any of the Kumo shinobi. They hadn't figured that Obito's death would cause her to resent Kumo shinobi so much that she would simply let them die. They then treated her as a POW; torturing her daily in order to get information about the networks and the shinobi of Konoha.

Rin didn't break, not even when they went from normal torture techniques to a more ancient and supposedly effective torture system: rape. Twice a day, for the last six days of her imprisonment, Rin was raped by one or more men at a time. She didn't go into or details, thankfully. All she would say was that she didn't tell them anything that would put Konoha at risk.

On the last day, they decided that if the normal torture experts couldn't get through to her, they would take her to _the _foremost in torture in Kumogakure, someone that even Ibiki feared; who also happened to be the captain of the regimen, according to the wartime BINGO books. Rin, who wasn't even an assassin, knew this man's face. And she'd taken advantage of the situation. She let him rape her; let him rip the remaining shreds of her dignity. She waited patiently until he was in climax to break his neck. And, on her way out, she made sure to cut him down the torso and leave his naked body outside of his tent, laying him out; shaming him in front of his troops.

She also took two important scrolls from the camp, as well as the translations to the Morse messages they were currently employing, a list of Leaf POW in their camps and _what _camps, and a list of active-duty shinobi currently on the battlefield. One scroll contained the combative training currently used by the Kumogakure shinobi, and the other contained a list of all locations the Cloud used for supply-drop-offs.

Rin had done more towards the war effort than any other POW did. It was sick to see that it was because she was a medical shinobi, and, beyond that; female. Of course, it had required her basically putting up her body as a plaything for most of the camp. Immediately, she was checked for any possible STDs or pregnancies, neither of which had happened. Rin admitted that she made sure that the pregnancy would never happen—after the first time, she used her medical jutsu make herself sterile. While it did mean that no children would stem from the rape, it also meant that she had sacrificed having kids in the foreseeable future.

Kakashi had been enraged by the abuse that Rin had suffered at the hands of these Kumo shinobi, as had their sensei. It had been absolutely disgusting to see the lengths they had been willing to go to make Rin talk about information she actually _didn't know_. She was only a medical ninja, after all; she _wouldn't _knowthe answers to their questions. Kakashi knew that he could've answered all the questions Rin couldn't. That made it worse: why couldn't he have been taken in Rin's place?

This trouble was far from over. The information Rin had taken, and shared already; was putting her on the first page of the Kumo BINGO book, exactly where no one should want to be. Being there meant that it was being made a primary mission of Kumogakure's forces to wipe that face off of the face of the planet. That kind of hit stayed with a person. There was no way out of it other than to die from something else first.

Minato had come up with the idea of Rin's 'public execution'. Rin couldn't live anymore, but that didn't just mean they were going to needlessly kill their comrade, their friend. No, that would be cold. Instead, Minato took the body of a girl around Rin's age, if not a few years younger; with a similar body shape to her. The girl had died on the battlefield earlier in the day; Minato had stressed the point of a fresh corpse. Taking her to a kunoichi with large glasses and a kind smile, they managed to make her look, physically, like Rin. Kakashi had been startled to see it, as had Rin.

Minato had Kakashi take this body out into the middle of the forest, on top of a lake that was clearly within enemy lines, and had a puppet master breathe life into the being, making her movements human. Minato had activated a tag he'd placed on the back of the girl's neck, pushing chakra into her system and bringing her back to 'life'. He then had Kakashi use his Chidori and 'kill Rin'. _Rin's public execution_. It had been meant for the Cloud shinobi, but Obito must've been watching, Kakashi knew this now. Now, at twenty-nine, looking back at eighteen years ago, he sighed; feeling tired and extremely old. That whole thing was coming back to bite him in the ass. _Thanks, Minato-sensei, _he thought dryly, _for making me deal with the mess all by myself. _

And, with that thought, he joined the fray when he noticed that Obito was nearly getting the drop on Shizuka. Avoiding being cut by Shizuka's katana, he wrapped his arm around Shizuka, placing his hand on the floor as he pushed off, pulling him out of the path of the fan Obito used as a weapon. Luckily, he avoided being cut, and he did save Shizuka from being hurt. He heard Obito growl, but he didn't pay much attention to him. He placed Shizuka on his feet, glaring at him. He wasn't mad at him… he wasn't sure what he was feeling. He just knew he was tired and he wanted to end this. "Stay here."

Shizuka began to shake his head. "But—"

"Listen to me," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You've done more than enough; more than one eleven-year-old medical ninja should be doing on the battlefield. Now let me to my job." He turned around, standing straight. "Let me do my job as an adult and let me protect you… kid." Kakashi glared at Obito, the tomes of his Sharingan—_Obito's_ Sharingan—spinning quickly in his eye. He had to get it through his head that this wasn't the Obito he knew. The Obito he knew didn't try to kill kids.

"Getting serious, eh, Kakashi?" asked Obito, smirking.

Kakashi didn't reply vocally, instead choosing to respond with physical violence. Moving too fast for someone without the Sharingan to truly follow, he struck at Obito, who managed to meet his fist with his own due to having the ability to follow with Kakashi's movements. Of course, the same could be said for Kakashi. Once he closed his normal eye, the entire world slowed down, making it easy for him to block Obito's next move. When it came to skills with the Sharingan, people could see that the shinobi were matched.

Even Obito could, much to his own dismay. Despite his ability to switch back into different dimensions, Kakashi was managing to make physical contact. It was his own fault, really—he had, after all, given Kakashi his left Sharingan eye, therefore giving him the ability to utilize the Mangekyō, transporting his own self to the alternate dimension Obito was employing for the avoidance of Kakashi's attacks. Obito gritted his teeth, noticing that they were on-par, exactly where he didn't want to be.

Obito growled and kicked Kakashi hard in the chest, taking advantage of the fact that while Kakashi could _see_ everything Obito was doing, he couldn't necessarily stop everything, as he wasn't as fast as Obito could be. Kakashi fell back a few meters, enough for Obito to be able to turn around and run in the opposite direction, knowing he had wasted enough of his time fighting Kakashi. For Kakashi, all this happened in slow-motion, almost like twenty minutes. But for normal shinobi, this took twenty seconds, barely giving them time to think before Shino took off after Obito.

Shino and Kiba immediately took off, and Shizuka made to follow, but Gaara wasn't stupid. There was no way that he was in any sort of shape to fight anymore, not with the way his body was trembling; as if he were cold. It was actually a rather warm night, with storm clouds overhead. There was no way the quivering could be from any sort of coldness. No, it had to be fatigue. He was fighting with his own body to stand up. Gaara pushed him against a tree with his sand, wrapping his sand around Shizuka's body, forcibly holding him against the tree. Shizuka cried out, angry, "_Get the fuck off me!_"

"No," responded Gaara, his face emotionless. He would admit that Shizuka could be helpful, normally; but not with the obvious tire his body had. Shizuka's eyes flashed bright orange, for a second, before returning to their normal dark color. Gaara's eyes widened a fraction. Something was amiss. Something was leaving the realms of control in this boy, something that was not going to be pretty; once it left control. Gaara internally groaned; he didn't have time for this development. _Maybe later. _

With that thought, he brought his fist back and sent it into Shizuka's face, making the boy's head hit the trunk of the tree hard, effectively knocking him unconscious. Kakashi stared at him, though he and Shisui both were gape-mouthed; as he shook his hand, trying to get the sting out of his knuckles. So this was what it felt like to punch someone? Why did Kankurō do this? It sucked. _I'll stick with the sand_, Gaara decided.

* * *

There is a reason why snakes are feared by other creatures, specifically their choice creatures of prey. Snakes are reptiles that can go weeks, months, sometimes even years without eating. Snakes can lay in wait, without moving, for weeks on end. No one knows when snakes will strike, and nor do they know from where they will strike. They don't fear the snake itself; but its mysterious sort of predatory evil they possess.

Of course, the fear is different for the type of snake. Orochimaru's fearsomeness was something close to a King Cobra. However, next to Kabuto, Orochimaru was like a garden snake. Kabuto had been born snakelike, he just didn't look like one until he experimented on his own body, trying to find perfection through science. Kabuto was someone Orochimaru had intended to use like a pawn, but found grew more evil than any one person could comprehend. One could blame Danzō for filling Kabuto's heart with deep hatred, but one could also blame Orochimaru for adding to the flames. But both sides would have to admit that what made Kabuto so disgustingly evil was that he _liked_ to cause people's suffering.

People could hypothesize that this was the reason he hated Kankurō so much—he came from such a damaging root, yet…his heart wasn't nearly as rotted as Kabuto's own. He was happy, whereas Kabuto wanted to destroy life. The people making this hypothesis should be called geniuses, as they were correct. To Kabuto, Kankurō's happiness wasn't deserved by him. To be completely fair, it was not only Kankurō he hated, but actually both the villages of Konoha and Suna. It was just that he hated him more.

Everything Kankurō did angered Kabuto. Everything about the puppeteer made Kabuto want to rip him into shreds. How dare he be happy? How dare he take the puzzle he was supposed to fit in and change the pieces around in order to fit himself within its parameters? No one should be able to do that, to change the game. If Kabuto couldn't, then this _weakling_ shouldn't either.

Kabuto decided that he would strike now, before Kankurō would get the chance to be happy. He had set up his own game pieces, and now it was time to play. He was the snake, tired of patience and ready to strike.

* * *

Hyūga Hizashi had no idea how so many of these shinobi could call themselves Leaves. They were too easy for him to kill. He didn't even need chakra to kill them, nor did he bother concealing it any. He simply crept up behind them and slit their throats, afterwards giving them an apology. Despite their lack of skill, they were still Leaf, and beyond that, they were still Hyūga; and therefore they were still fellow shinobi.

He felt sorry for them. But he had a mission now. A mission he really didn't want to go through with—he'd managed to go through the whole day, it seemed, without having any real goal. He thought himself lucky that he wasn't truly necessary. With the nature of this jutsu, however, he should've known it was nothing but a farce. He just hadn't been needed _at that moment. _That did not mean to say that he wasn't needed at all. And what he was needed for was so twisted, so hideous… but he couldn't refuse it. It was the want of whoever had summoned him, and he just couldn't refuse that person what he wanted. No matter how twisted or how hideous it was. Though he would never admit it in his lifetime, Hizashi cared about the main branch of his family. Did he hate them? Yes. But he also recognized one thing; in the back of his mind… it wasn't the current generation's faults. They did nothing to him. It was all a decision made by his parents, and as the clan head, his brother had been forced to go through with it. He couldn't help it, and Hizashi didn't blame him. Sometimes, admittedly, he would get jealous, but he didn't _hate_ any of them. He just didn't like that his only son wasn't given a fair chance like they were. But would he kill family for that? No.

He wouldn't kill family for anything, normally; but now? Now he had to. He wasn't being given a choice, or an option. He had to kill his clan, including its current head, Hyūga Hiashi, his twin brother, who he had sacrificed his own life for. Hizashi smirked sardonically. _God has the biggest sense of humor, it appears, _he thought, letting the dead man drop to the ground. Vaguely, he remembered his name was Ryōta, one of Neji's friends. Neji would definitely be angered to know that a man he'd grown up with was killed by his father. That knowledge alone made Hizashi's heart ache. Neji was his son, after all; it was always his point as a father to make his son proud of him. He was basically failing him, dashing all of his hopes.

All he had left to hope was that Neji wouldn't curse his name too badly when he came back home to find that the Hyūga would be obliterated.

* * *

The village of Uzushiogakure was once the most renowned village in all of the shinobi countries. It had stood proud; its symbol large for the whole world to see. Its ninja were trained like no others were, their training hard and gritty, but then again, no other ninja would love what they did so much. Resting between two rivers, the village always had an influx of foreign foods, exotic silks, and emigrating people, looking for a fresh start.

The people of Uzushiogakure praised their founding clans: the Uzumaki, the Nara, the Fūma, and the now-extinct Kaguya clan. These clans were tightly knit with each other. The Nara clan, particularly, was close with the Uzumaki, their jutsu having the most aid in the development of the fūinjutsu the Uzumaki were famed for.

When people see the shadow techniques, they only saw ninjutsu. What they do not see is the distinct sealing element of the jutsu itself, and the explanation of why it is such a waste of chakra. After all, the seal is only active for as long as the caster is pumping it full of chakra, and it does require much chakra. The Uzumaki clan had a direct hand in the development of this jutsu—in the days of Uzushiogakure, most often one would see a Nara member on a team with an Uzumaki. It is due to the fact that the Uzumaki may lack the skill necessary to manipulate the shadows, which the Nara have; they have the capacity to freely give away their chakra to their comrades, which the Nara lack.

In the end, really, that was what Shikamaru needed right now: an Uzumaki.

"I… need more chakra…" he winced, his entire body screaming out in pain from the overuse of his chakra. "Or… someone… I need… a container… is Shikaru back…"

"No." Suigetsu's response was short and very to-the-point. Shikamaru sighed. He shouldn't complain; he'd kind of _asked_ him to be short with responses after realizing he needed too much focus to hear anything beyond 'Yes', 'No', or 'I'll get on it'. Shikamaru wanted to turn around to see Suigetsu's expression, but the beast began tugging on the chakra chains again, much to Shikamaru's dismay.

"Neji…!"

"I'll get on it." In the back of Shikamaru's mind, he realized he was being the biggest asshole. They sounded so tired. A small part of his mind, the logistical part, figured that this was a result of a day of work with no rest. But the insecure part of him thought that he'd caused their tire, their sadness. Neji pressed his hands against the chains, pumping more of his chakra within it, binding the Jūbi again. Shikamaru had been offered by Neji the use of his chakra, which Shikamaru turned down—Neji didn't have the levels he needed, he would use up his chakra in _seconds_.

Shikamaru looked at his shadow, identifying the seal he was forming through memory. It was close to complete—he just needed to get a container, which Shikaru was supposed to be doing. The kid could move fast, so how was he not there yet? What could he be doing? He was running out of time. He needed Gaara—he was the only still-living jinchūriki, and his body was already adapted to contain Shukaku. They didn't have time to pick a new container. They needed _the One-Tails jinchūriki._

* * *

Hanabi hadn't always been as mischievous as she was. As a younger girl, she always did as she was told, always being polite, always brushed her teeth three times a day, and always going to bed by the curfew. It was simply the way of the Hyūga, to follow a routine. But a small part of her—okay, that was a lie; it was a large part of her soul—wanted to cause trouble. She didn't know how to explain it, but she always had a sort of admiration for practical pranks. Hanabi hadn't been sure how to express this part of her, in her childhood. Mostly, she expressed her unusual attitude through hanging out with boys rather than girls, but that was common amongst Hyūga women, as they were treated in their clans like boys until their chests began to develop.

It wasn't until she had Naruto come into Iruka's class to guest-speak that she realized how to go about her need to prank. Naruto had always been getting in trouble, according to Iruka. So why not just ask _him _for help? It only made sense. Naruto was more than willing to give her his collection of prank tools, which consisted of many cans of spray paints, whoopee-cushions with small exploding tags inside, a detailed scroll on the Sexy Jutsu technique (which she had promptly given to Konohamaru). When that first whoopee-cushion exploded upon Neji sitting on it, though Neji had been furious; Hanabi realized she really couldn't get enough. So she became better at it, thinking up her own original pranks, such as sending every female in the village a love-letter on her father's behalf (which he had actually tried to kill her for, before realizing it was actually helping him out).

But because of these pranks being so offensive to so many people, Hanabi had to learn how to get out of the situations. Only an idiot would try to sweet-talk their ways out of it. She, instead, became a master at escaping the problem. She began to work on chakra control, learning about her own unique scent, and dealing with it by developing her own shampoo that left literally no smell. She worked on agility and flexibility both, making it nearly impossible for people to truly corner her. Doing so made her a challenging opponent, as a shinobi; especially with her Gentle Fist. It didn't matter if she was a Genin. She was dangerous.

Apparently, the people Kō assigned to guard her had forgotten that about the young kunoichi, forgetting the reason _why _she had graduated at ten rather than the usual twelve. Hanabi dusted off the fronts of her pants, a small smile on her face as her eyes flitted between the two unconscious figures lying on the ground at her door. They had been tall guys, but that just meant they had to work more to reach her with any attacks. It had been all too easy, with her lack of height, to incapacitate them. One of them was still cradling his crotch.

"Sorry, Kenji, but…" she said softly, smiling sheepishly at one of her older cousins, only four times removed. She would admit, kneeing them in the crotch probably wasn't the most honorable things she could've done, but it was getting her pretty damned far, it seemed; especially since her nurses had recommended that she lay off of anything requiring chakra, which even crossed the Byakugan off of the list of things she could possibly use. It basically left her with her taijutsu skills, which were beyond par, but it did make things harder.

Kenji groaned, glaring at her. She sighed and kicked him as hard as she could in the face, knocking him unconscious _and_ breaking his nose. She winced. She would definitely hear about this later, from her father, and then from Kō. She wasn't looking forwards to it. She sighed again, aggravated with her own sloppiness, and grabbed Kenji under the armpits, dragging him into her bedroom before going back out for the other man, who was forty or so from what Hanabi could tell. _I've probably known you all my life, but for the life of me I can't remember your name! _Hanabi thought, groaning with the effort to drag him. _In my own defense, we're probably cousins thirty-million times removed, so… damned intermarriages… _

She realized what she was doing was breaking her father's rules, as both the head of the Hyūga clan and the acting general in Konoha, but she didn't care. She hated being counted out as invalid by him. He'd done that with Hinata for some time, which had pissed her off enough. There was no way in hell she was just going to let him pull the same thing on her. She was kunoichi, and she felt that she could help on the battlefield.

The sound of whimpering distracted Hanabi from her thoughts, and automatically she pressed herself against the wall, decreasing her oxygen intake to a shallow level in order to make herself unheard. She angled her head slightly, as she was unable to use the Byakugan, to look around the corner. What she saw made her stomach roll. Blood covered the entire hallway, spraying from one Hyūga's neck. The man grabbed at his throat, to stop the bleeding, but he was losing way too much blood to help himself, at this point. Hanabi's eyes found more shinobi behind him, their eyes glassy, unseeing, and wide; still filled with terror. That would be a look that would haunt Hanabi for the rest of her natural life, as nothing is as an impressionable on a child as wartime is, despite the type of life that child might lead.

For years, Hanabi would be able to remember the smell of the iron in the blood. She would be able to remember each face, to recall how their bodies twisted abnormally, how bruises dotted their hands, their faces, and what was visible of their legs and arms. She would be able to remember how long that man whimpered; how long he tried to stop the blood: twenty-two seconds.

She watched the man drop to the floor, watched his body twitch, and she knew that this was the first person she had ever seen die before her eyes. Stunned, she couldn't look away from it. Could she have helped? No. She knew she lacked the ability. Could she have gotten help in time? Also, no. But she felt so _guilty,_ guilty that she had seen this happen and had not tried to do anything about it.

"Is this your first death, child?"

Usually, it took a lot to sneak up on Hanabi—she was a very aware girl—but she was too stunned to think past the man to think about being watched. She couldn't even turn around. A hand grabbed her by her chin, pressing its fingers into her cheeks. She gave no fight as the man turned her face. She didn't blink as she took in the pale irises, surrounded by a sea of black; didn't blink when she took notice of the garish Curse Mark that marred this man's forehead; didn't think twice when she realized that this man was an exact likeness of her father.

"Do you feel guilty for not helping him?" Numbed, Hanabi simply nodded. "Do you know that man, child?" She shrugged. "You simply feel guilty? Wondering if you could've done something—anything—to help him?" Nod. "Wishing you could take his place?" Nod. These questions were rhetorical, but she felt the compulsion to respond to them. She didn't know why, but she just did. "Would you like me to erase this feeling, child? Make it all just wash away?" Nod. _Yes,_ she thought empathetically. _Do it. Make it disappear. I don't want to feel this ever again. _"This will hurt." She nodded. _I don't care. _"How old are you?"

"Ten," she replied, without hesitation. If she could activate her Byakugan, she could see that his chakra was running straight to his palm, preparing to strike her in the heart. An immediate, gratifying death.

"Such a pity, to be touched by something like this at such a young age," said the man, shaking his head sadly before moving to strike her. She closed her eyes, preparing for it. Waiting for it. _Wanting _it. Only for it to never come. Something grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back, making her pass through the wall and land in the room behind it. She yelped, surprised, and began to jump up before hands grabbed her, pulling her down into a chair she didn't even realize was there. She fought against her captors, craving the death that man was going to give her.

"_Release_."

Suddenly, her world popped back into focus. A cloud that she didn't even realize had clouded her mind drifted off, as if there had been a good breeze. She blinked, staring up into the concerned face of Kō, whose hand was pressed against her shoulder. She looked down to see multiple hands holding her against the chair. She frowned. Kō nodded, and all at once, the hands released her, but she didn't get up from the chair. "What…"

"Genjutsu," said Kō simply, standing up tall and placing his hands on his hips, frowning down at his careless niece. Hizashi had always been good with genjutsu. It only made sense that Hanabi had fallen into one of his traps, especially since she could not currently use the Byakugan. He'd made her feel such despair that she had _wanted _to be killed, wanted to die. It was not an unreal emotion. And despite the claims, the Hyūga were not emotionless.

"What about…"

"Your father is taking care of it," Kō said before she could finish, "With captain Yamato." Hanabi's nerve-shot eyes found his, and she nodded, biting her lip. He had no doubts that the genjutsu had changed her a little. Kō sighed. Though it was slightly her own fault, after breaking away from her guards, he still felt sorry for her.

"Am I…"

"In massive trouble with your father? Fuck, yes." She flinched, but Kō didn't let that bother him. It was only natural that she feared her father a little. He smirked. At least her fear for Hiashi hadn't changed.

* * *

Kurama was a being not very easily surprised. As a nine-tailed fox demon, he'd be a giant hypocrite if he was easily surprised by the unusual and unexpected. Especially as a fox demon that lived in a world like the one he did—one that could be easily mistaken for magic and wondrous rather than its actuality. Kurama was known amongst his 'siblings' as someone that expected the unexpected. It was a simple fact of life. However, Kurama would be the first to admit to the fact that there were simply some things that he just couldn't expect to happen because it was just too obscure an idea for him. He wasn't an idiot—you just can't expect it all.

So, knowing that, it is easy to understand why upon seeing Sabaku, Kurama nearly shit a brick. Last time Kurama checked, Sabaku had been slain, and Shukaku barely secured from his carcass. After all, beasts usually die within their containers in the type of situations Sabaku had been in, which was beheaded, his blood sprayed across the room. He remembered that Kushina had barely held her lunch when she'd seen that. So how was he here, chatting with Hinata? Here, in a dimension contained within Naruto's head?

Sabaku's head snapped up and stared at Kurama, brow furrowing. Kurama knew that Sabaku didn't recognize him. It wasn't like they had formally met during Sabaku's lifetime. But Kurama also knew that the man wasn't stupid, either. It didn't take much of a leap of the imagination to figure out, that he was the Kyūbi—after all, what type of normal fox walks around on two legs with nine tails?—and it was shown when Sabaku grabbed Hinata's hand, frown on his face.

"Naruto," said Kurama, nudging the blond-haired male next to him, "That girl over there, that's Hinata. Go to her. I have things to speak of with my siblings."

"I don't know her," said Naruto with a frown, "And how do I know that you won't just be planning to eat me?"

"As appetizing as that sounds, I lack the size necessary," said Kurama dryly, not actually kidding with his container, "And I applaud you for thinking that I'll actually eat you. It took the previous container a while to realize I wasn't being sarcastic." Of course, he left out the fact that Kushina had also yelled at him for it, even going as so far as to temporarily release the internal seal so she could beat the shit out of him for saying it. He grimaced. Yes, Uzumaki Kushina—actually, all Uzumaki women—scared him; a fact he would take to the grave.

Naruto shivered, but crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not going anywhere," he grumbled angrily. "Especially not over there, with people who can't give me any answers! What am I doing here? And her—I don't even _fucking know her_!" Hinata's wince was the only sign she gave of being able to hear him. "She's pretty, but I don't know her, and I doubt she'll give me answers! She looks like a fucking porcelain doll, for Chrissakes!"

"I didn't know you knew what porcelain was," said Kurama, not really listening to Naruto.

"Fuck you!" Naruto screamed at him. "I'm tired of asking a question and getting sarcasm! I want answers! Or, I swear, I'm gonna _kill_ someone!" Sabaku and Hinata's frowns deepened, both of them looking over at one another. Kurama chuckled; knowing they were both wondering which one of them would end up being the one who was getting killed. "_HEY! LISTEN TO ME YOU BASTARD! GIVE ME A FUCKING ANSWER!_"

"Your container is annoying," said Shukaku with a tired sigh, letting his existence be known to Kurama and Naruto, the former of which already sensed his location. Naruto, however, flinched in surprise. "You should just eat him and get it over with, Kurama. That's what I would do."

"I can't eat him—his stupidity is funny," responded Kurama dryly, neither joking with Shukaku, nor complimenting Naruto. He sighed, suddenly feeling incredibly and unjustifiably old. "Lift the genjutsu, Shukaku. I don't like talking to nothingness, considering Uzumaki's subconscious is anything but that."

"If you knew that we were covering the entirety of his subconscious in genjutsu, why didn't you do anything about it?" asked Shukaku condescendingly. "Let me guess… _you didn't feel the time was right_." All three humans turned to look at Kurama, who appeared almost to be smirking. None of them could tell, what with the type of face Kurama had. But all three were expecting a grand response, detailing his prowess and high intelligence.

"No. I was just too lazy," he responded, shrugging. The three shinobi stared at him in disbelief. _This _was the grand Kyūbi? A lazy, blunt bastard of a fox? Despite himself, Naruto found himself grinning. Though he wouldn't admit it if asked, the fox was growing on him. The damned being was amusing, to say the very least. The fox turned and chuckled, noticing Naruto's grin.

Hinata watched as the white flowed away to reveal sewers, the halls of which seemingly went on forever. She stared at the Uzumaki, feeling such respect for him. He had to have quite the mind if he had this big of a subconscious. _I wonder if he is as stupid as Kurama is trying to make him out to be or if it's really just some sort of act? _Hinata wondered, standing up and staring at Naruto, who began to pick his nose. She sighed. _No, it probably isn't an act. He might just be stupid. _

Sabaku swallowed dryly, managing to garner Hinata's attention. She gasped upon seeing several beasts chained with chakra to the walls of Naruto's subconscious, their chakra dripping out of them as if it were their blood. They all appeared to be small, Kurama's size, and Hinata immediately figured this must be due to the fact that they were losing too much chakra. She covered her mouth with her hand, horrified by their condition.

One of the beasts, who looked like a cat made out of fire, leveled her with a stare, and then something akin to a smile appeared on its lips. "Don't worry about us, child," it said, "Worry about yourself."

Sabaku swallowed again and nudged Hinata. "There's nothing you could do to help them anyways, Hinata." Hinata didn't listen to him, walking away from him and towards the different bijū, much to the surprise of everyone present. Hinata stared up at the cat with different-color eyes, her own lavender eyes swarmed with emotion. "Hinata? What could you do?" Her body became rigid, much to Kurama's enjoyment. He would tell the ex-jinchūriki to stop, but why do that when Hinata was getting angry? The heiress clenched her fists, her anger beginning to boil in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear that she couldn't help any of them when something burning within her was telling her she most definitely could. She didn't know what, but she just knew she could. "Hinata…"

"Stop calling my name!" she finally hissed, whipping around and glaring at Sabaku. Both his and Naruto's eyes widened, startled by the sudden personality change that was taking place in Hinata. "I'm not a moron! I'm a fully capable kunoichi of Konoha! If I want to waste my chakra trying to free these beings, then dammit; I will do it! Call my name again and I will break your all of your fingers! For the love of Christ." Sabaku held up his hands, unsure of how to respond.

Naruto kept staring at her, his mind swirling. Memories were bombarding him, amusing memories. Memories involving Sasuke getting his ass handed to him. Memories of this girl doing the actual ass handing… and suddenly, _everything _was back. Every single thing he had seen or read or heard or tasted or sniffed or thought in his life was back.

His mouth gaped and pointed. "Hinata!"

She growled under her breath and turned. "What did I just say about—!" she began before the Uzumaki pounced, wrapping her in his arms, squeezing the breath out of her. Naruto couldn't believe he could've forgotten someone like her. She was like his sister, and she was definitely one of his closest friends. He picked her up, laughing and crying simultaneously.

"Shit, Hinata, I'm sorry!" he said, unwittingly squeezing the life out of her. "I can't believe I just _forgot _you! Fuck, how can someone just forget you? How could I forget that every memory of you I have is a happy one? You're one of my best friends! I should've remembered you before now!" Hinata coughed, drawing his attention. He blushed when he realized her face was turning blue. He apologized again as he placed her down on her feet and released her. She immediately began to suck in air, pale eyes wide like a fish.

Sabaku walked over to her, placing a hand around Hinata's shoulders in concern. He frowned, unsure of anything he could say. Truthfully, he wanted to laugh—Naruto's reaction had been utterly hilarious—but he knew that now was not the time for that, no matter how hard the Kyūbi was currently laughing. He had to remain serious… and never admit that he had snorted when he saw how big Hinata's eyes had gotten, because that wouldn't be very serious of him.

"I assume you know each other," said Sabaku dryly as Hinata's breathing regulated.

"Fuck, yeah!" responded Naruto, grinning like a moron. "I've known her for years! I went to the Academy with her! She's one of my friends, and I teach her sister!" His chest swelled with pride for a minute before it deflated just as quickly, a solemn look replacing his features. "It's also my fault she's in this position."

Hinata frowned as her breath returned to her. "W-What's y-your fault?" she asked, returning to her former stutter, which was Naruto's indication that none of her happy memories had returned, whereas his had.

Naruto's frown increased, and he looked at the Kyūbi. "She doesn't remember anything," he noted dumbly to the fox, which was still laughing, and therefore unable to explain anything to the blond-haired boy. Thankfully, there were other fully capable bijū who could explain the situation to him, which Shukaku set out to do.

"It's different for the runt rather than for you. You're Kurama's container. Therefore, seeing any indicator of previous happiness can trigger your memories, regardless of amount of incompatible beasts that surround you. The runt's got no bijū of her own, and even if you could trigger her memories, the influence of our chakra on her would automatically shut it down on her." Naruto's frown increased, and his eyes glazed over. Shukaku sighed, irritated. Of course the boy was too much of an idiot to be able to understand a damned thing.

Sabaku stared at Naruto. "Look. You've got the Kyūbi inside you, right?" Naruto looked over at him and nodded. "Your body is already naturally adjusted to having him inside of you. It knows how to deal with him. Understand me so far?" Naruto nodded again. "You were temporarily thrown off balance by the other beasts. They made you feel lonely. They made you forget things, like they did to Hinata. Hinata's being here triggered your body into readjusting to having bijū, and you adjusted to containing so many at one time. That's why you can remember everything again.

"However, Hinata doesn't have that advantage. She's not a container, unlike you. She can't adjust to a feeling she's never had, whereas you have it constantly—you've just gotten over it. Since she can't naturally adjust, the feeling just continues to overpower her," finished Sabaku smoothly, watching Naruto's face contort with anger. He understood it all, finally. He was almost afraid he'd have to explain again.

"That's not right!" yelled Naruto, fully pissed off. "First, I get her into this sort of situation, then I find out I can't even get her out of it! _Sonovabitch_!" Naruto wanted to punch something, but he knew enough to know that would not fix anything. So instead he crossed his arms over his chest, his mind racing. _Why'd I have to be a jinchūriki?_ Naruto mentally groaned. _If it weren't for me, Hinata wouldn't have been targeted for something like this. If it weren't for me, Hinata wouldn't be in this type of situation…_

Sabaku sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and staring at Hinata, who went back to shyness and stuttering. For a moment there, he'd had a glance of a more confident girl… definitely a more violent girl. This girl was definitely strong, but this feeling was completely taking away the person she had apparently grown into being through happiness. He frowned, eyes narrowing. "Kid," he began, turning to Naruto, "What type of situation is this, anyways?"

He looked at Hinata, whose pale eyes were like saucers, and she bit down on her bottom lip. "Hinata," he said softly, garnering her attention, "Do you trust this guy?"

"Sabaku," the man in question growled softly, stepping closer to Hinata. Despite his supposed closeness with Hinata, she was nerve-shot. Sabaku was beginning to think of himself as a type of bodyguard for her, with her shyness and natural introversion.

"Y-Yes," responded Hinata, not making eye contact with Naruto.

Naruto nodded. "Okay. So then I guess I'll trust you." He smiled weakly. "Hinata's a good judge of character, after all. She knows better than to trust someone obviously unworthy of trust." He rubbed the back of his head. "I, um… I'm being used. My body I mean. My head… why can't I explain this at all?" he growled, looking over at Kurama, who was just calming down from his bout of laughing. "He's contained in me, and Hinata can control him. So they put me in this statue-thingy—I put up a fight, believe you me—but they kind of won in the end. I was tired, and one of them had a fist like a fucking brick. Only made sense. So, using the statue-thingy and my head, Hinata's controlling me. Did I miss something…? AH! The other bijū are contained in the statue-thingy, too!" Naruto frowned. "But what are _you_ doing here?" he asked Sabaku, pointing.

Sabaku gave him a blank gaze. How the hell was he supposed to answer this guy when he didn't even know? He flicked a glance at Shukaku, where he hung on the wall. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the being he used to contain. "Why _am_ I here?" he asked Shukaku pointedly, quieting the entire area within seconds. "You said you would answer when Kurama arrived, so…"

The room was too silent for a second, as the bijū looked amongst themselves. Sabaku knew that they were telepathically speaking with each other, and it was annoying him—it felt like they were ignoring the question.

"You're here," said Shukaku with some amount of hesitation after a few minutes, "Because _we've_ decided that _I'm_ going to die." Sabaku's jaw went slack, too stunned to think of anything. This allowed Shukaku to go on with his explanation: "As long as one of us is alive, we can be united again and again to create the Jūbi. So one of us has to die—and, as you're not fully alive, it only makes sense that it is you."

"But…" said Sabaku, swallowing, "Why would you…?"

"Because the others don't have you," he responded, emotionless, "Upon your death, your chakra immediately surrounded mines, acting as a constant buffer so that no one could fully access even half of the abilities as you could. All your chakra exists in me. If I release it, your chakra will create its own tangible body in order for survival. This will last only for a few minutes before it implodes upon itself."

Naruto sucked in a breath. "Chakra does that?"

Kurama nodded, completely serious now. "A jinchūriki has a higher and more unstable chakra level than others," he explained to him, "The human body is the one thing that keeps that chakra from destroying everything around it. Chakra can't create bodies; it can only put off its eventual destruction. It's like lighting up a liquor cabinet. It'll create an explosion."

"B-But…!" said Naruto, "Why would Sabaku do it for him?! It's Shukaku, after all! I mean… look at what Shukaku did to Gaara!"

Kurama sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "He doesn't have a choice," he admitted, pissed he had to explain. "Gaara was never a compatible container for Shukaku, Naruto. He did the job, but he wasn't the right fit. If we were to get release—and we will—Shukaku won't just go and find Gaara to go back into, as he's alive. The way the Sage made us is to search for the nearest compatible container within the kilometer, and that compatible container isn't Gaara; it's Kankurō—the very child Sabaku died protecting." Sabaku's eyes widened. His nephew had been named after him? _Karura… _he thought sadly. "His options are to allow Kankurō to absorb Shukaku and get Kankurō killed, or to take Shukaku himself and be erased."

Sabaku bit his lip, staring down at the floor. He heard commotion, but none of it made it through to him. He wasn't sure what he was feeling—regret? Confusion? Fear? Possibly a mixture, but he didn't know. He didn't know what to do.

He looked up and saw Hinata staring at him, her eyes soft. She didn't look afraid. _What was she thinking?_ Sabaku wondered. He couldn't tell by looking in her eyes. The word she spoke next described it all for him. "You're his uncle." Simple words, but it said enough. She loved his nephew. She _was_ his nephew's. That was why he cared for her: they were in love. And as the influence pushed her memories away and this Hinata once again disappeared, Sabaku made his simple, easy decision.

"I'll do it," he said.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Of Trust

**I'm so sorry that this chapter is so late! I've just been really busy this past week. Haven't had a real moment to myself until today, because I was home alone with not a single person to stop me from writing! I didn't want to write this in school, because that would've been awkward, but somehow I found it okay to write a one-shot during my free periods. A one-shot with a lemon in it... because I'm a genius like that. Oh, well. At least I got this on here for you all to enjoy (I hope)! **

**To ****McKazekage****: haha, thanks. I didn't realize I'd created an emotional sorta moment. I'm proud of that right now. :) To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: I understand your feeling. Gaara is... OMG. And it's become expected of Hanabi to get a crotch shot now? Well, shit. I didn't even really realize... :P To Q Sekhmet****: I'm glad you love it! It makes me happy to see that people enjoy this FanFic. :D**

**And to the Favorite/Followers (whom I seem to never give thanks to) thank you all! [NO, THIS ISN'T THE LAST CHAPTER. I JUST DON'T THINK I GIVE YOU GUYS ENOUGH PROPS.] 21 favorites, 26 follows, 1 community, and 65 reviews. Thank all of you guys for continuously making my days by liking it, by reading it, by reviewing it, by sticking with it. You all are such great people. Thank you. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. I own the story and the OC's. **

**Enjoy this chapter, please. **

The sort of life Kankurō lived prior to falling in love had him living cautiously. He didn't trust people easily, and when he did trust it was a half-trust. He was partially afraid to put his complete faith in a person just to see it let down, so he refused to; shaking their hand with one hand and holding a kunai behind his back with another. After Yashamaru's assassination-turned-suicide, Kankurō took to keeping a kunai under his pillow due to the fact that he was worried his father might want him dead next. He had believed that shinobi were better off not trusting anyone, especially their comrades—the people closest to you can kill you the easiest, after all.

It was not Hinata, specifically, who changed this ideal; though she held a part in it. It was all of 'Rookie Nine', the most-recently graduated Genin group out of Konoha that had taken the Chūnin exams by a storm, surprising everyone. Each of them, even Sakura; were responsible for Kankurō's changing ideologies. The idea stated that if comrades cannot be trusted—then who can be? He had to put his trust in his comrades if he hoped to live past his teens, to live at all. So he did. Slowly, but surely, he began to put his trust and reliance upon his two siblings—his team. And slowly, he put his faith in the Konoha Eleven.

And then Sakura had gone and stomped all over the trust he had installed in her, and then pretended as if she hadn't.

What she had done brought back that cautiousness, somewhat. He hated it, but he knew it was necessary. It was not to say that he completely ripped his trust away from his friends and family; that would be wrong. But those people _close _to his comrades, those people his comrades might trust? He couldn't. He refused to. He just couldn't but stock in those people, couldn't absolutely believe them, even if they were being true to their word.

For example… Kankurō didn't trust Hinata's mother. It was all fine and great that it was Hinata's mother he was talking to; fine. But he didn't trust her. He was simply waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her to attack him. He knew it was only a matter of time, which was why he had chakra strands connected to his puppets. He was thankful that his jutsu of preference was not one of extreme chakra abuse; otherwise he would've passed out already. And he was also thankful that he could afford to pay attention to more than one thing at a time.

Or else he might've missed the shadow clone the woman must've made earlier creeping up behind him, preparing to attack him from behind. With a twitch of his index finger, Crow took out the shadow clone; making the clone disappear with a puff. He glared up at the woman, not moving a limb. "How long have you been planning that?" he asked gruffly, annoyed that she doubted his abilities.

"A while." A very vague response, Kankurō knew, but he also didn't want a full response. That would've been… very boring. The Hyūga, from what he could tell, was anything but. Hinata's mother—Suki—was obviously Hyūga, through-and-through. "How long have you known about it?"

"A while," he responded, shrugging. She shrugged as well, seemingly not caring about exact time lengths. It wasn't absolutely necessary to know. Both knew that the other was fearsome, hard-to-beat, and trained to the best of their respective village's capabilities. To be short, they were at the top of their crafts within their villages.

Kankurō looked down at Hinata, still absorbed by chakra. "If we're going to fight," he sighed, "We move away from Hinata. I don't want her getting caught in this."

Suki nodded in affirmative. "Agreed." Using one hand, she created another shadow clone, ordering it to continuously pump chakra into Hinata. She let go of the girl as soon as the clone latched on, taking her place behind the girl. Suki dusted off her pants, a sigh escaping her lips as she picked up the katana—Hinata's katana. Kankurō frowned at this, but held his tongue. "My orders were to wait until your brother was surely gone in order to take your life," she admitted, flicking a glance up at him.

"I assumed," he said with a shrug, "Lemme guess who gave you the order—a shinobi with silver hair and glasses."

"Kabuto," she responded with a nod, "Correct."

"He's too afraid to come down and face me on his own, huh?" asked Kankurō, attaching chakra strings to his still-whole puppets and bringing them forwards. He still had Salamander, Black Ant, and most of Crow. Since he had Scorpion's leg, maybe it wasn't best that he attempt to bring that puppet into the fray.

"He thinks it'll hurt more, to fight me rather than him," she responded.

"You haven't hurt me," said Kankurō with a frown. "Technically speaking, you haven't wronged me at all. Hell, I don't even know you, really."

Suki shook her head. "Child," she said, smiling softly, "I never said the pain would be emotional." She seemingly took a step, but in a flash, she was right next to him, the sword swinging to take off Kankurō's head. He barely managed to duck in time, hitting the floor with his back painfully. He didn't give himself time to wince in pain as he got up, moving on unsteadied legs away from the sword. He cursed to himself—he was not in any sort of state to be fighting in a taijutsu combat. It closed off a whole section of possible defenses, making her offensive strategies all the stronger. And, as a bonus, he couldn't just follow her movements, like he usually could. Fatigue, worry, sadness, physical pain—everything was getting to him at that moment, and it was impeding him from following her correctly. Just being upright and on his feet was making the world move in a sickening way.

He was at _such _the disadvantage. He had to use that puppet. He had no choice. Attaching a chakra string from his pinky to the scroll, he yanked on it, pulling it over to him and pulling it open, biting on his thumb and pressing it into the paper of the scroll. The puppet came into the physical world automatically, ready for his usage. Though he had already used it more times than he was comfortable with using, he attached his strings to its body, bringing it to life in only the way a puppet master could.

The puppet was different from anything he'd ever made before in his life. For one, the puppet was faceless, but its figure obviously based off of the female body; but robed in thick cloth, like his two favored puppets or like how desert-dwellers dressed. Its hair was unruly and unkempt, thick like Crow's. The body of the puppet was lithe, like a gymnast, and much to Kankurō's delight contained all of the flexibility. But that wasn't why he was so proud of the puppet—he was proud of the puppet because the tree it had been formed out of known was renowned for the ability to use natural-style jutsus. It had taken him a nearly a year and most of the money he earned from missions to make the puppet, but he was proud of it; proud of the gift he had made. And that was what it was: a gift. Now, people didn't usually gift dangerous killing mechanisms to their loved ones, but to Kankurō? This was the best he could give.

Especially to someone he loved like Hinata.

He waited, and as did she; both of them watching the other, killing intent in both of their eyes as they tensed their muscles, assessed their grips on their weaponry. She noticed a drop of sweat on Kankurō's brow, deciding to wait until it dripped off of his face to attack. Kankurō paced his breath, calming himself in order to not mess up during his assault. He needed a clear mind if he was going to fight with the handicap he had.

_One breath. Two breaths. _

Kankurō hit his tenth breath at the same time the bead of sweat dropped off of his face. Both attacked, both knowing that only one would come out of the battle.

* * *

Nara Shikamaru was fully aware that his world contained many weird things; many oddities that would make normal people want to run in terror. He was aware that some might consider the things he could do, or the things the people around him could do, to go against a higher power. Shikamaru himself wasn't a big believer in God, per say. The whole idea seemed preposterous and it wasn't proven on a scientific standpoint, nor could it be disproved. Shikamaru himself just shook it off as children's stories. A higher power would be nice to believe in, but in the grand scheme of things, this higher power couldn't help him when enemy ninja were holding a kunai to his throat, or his comrades' throats.

Shikamaru didn't believe in Gods, but that did not mean to say that he didn't believe in demons. He'd have to be an idiot to believe that demons did not exist in this world. Right in front of him was the prime example of such a thing, for Chrissakes! He didn't pretend to understand them, nor did he want them explained to him. He would prefer that they stayed a mystery to him, really. He didn't want to talk to them, to be near them. He understood that it would be an odd thing to want, considering that Naruto contained one of them, but he had nothing against Naruto. He just was scared to understanding a bijū, really. He didn't want to be connected to them, at all.

No one gets what they want, apparently. It was obvious when Shikamaru felt a foreign influence tugging at his mind, asking for entrance. Automatically, he assumed it was Yamanaka Inoichi—the Yamanaka did have a station in which they could connect to every shinobi through a telepathic link—and he allowed the influence into his mind. He realized his mistake when a slightly sinister chakra entered the edges of his mind, knowing he just let in exactly what he didn't want.

_'Nara Shikamaru…' _said what was obviously a bijū, making Shikamaru's stomach roll.

**_'Which one?'_**Shikamaru thought immediately, not wasting any time. Despite his unease at having one of them in his head, he needed to put that aside for the time being. They wouldn't contact him mentally if it wasn't necessary, he decided, and so he needed to allow them to speak to him. Even if he didn't want to speak to them.

_'The Kyūbi.'_ But, of course he would get that one. He grimaced slightly. Though he liked Naruto just fine… his bijū he did not. '_I am here in order to help you.' _Yes, Shikamaru knew this. What he also knew was that it was helping so long as it suited it needs. And, apparently, what Shikamaru was doing was benefiting it. '_I am fully aware that you are going to open up the Jūbi and seal us into a container.' _Shikamaru figured that, as well. He didn't need explanations as to why the bijū was speaking with him. He could figure it out well enough by himself. It wasn't hard. He wanted to know what the Kyūbi wanted from him, and how it would benefit. '_You don't require a container. What you need is just to open up the Jūbi for us. I will take care of the rest. I'm aware of the amount of chakra that will require of you, Nara Shikamaru, and I'm asking you to basically take some of my chakra in order to help you.' _

**_'The Kyūbi doesn't want me to die?' _**Shikamaru asked.

_'I personally don't care_,' the Kyūbi told him, but Shikamaru didn't believe him, actually; much to his own surprise. '_Naruto would get pissed if I didn't offer up my chakra_.' Shikamaru still didn't believe him, but he managed to keep it to himself. Years of dealing with Ino having the capability to reach into his mind at any possible moment had him capable of hiding his current thoughts from the Kyūbi, thankfully; so it did not know of his skepticism over its 'careless' attitude towards whether or not Shikamaru survived.

**_'So all you need is for me to open up the seal? What about the other bijū?' _**Shikamaru asked, frowning. He couldn't just allow them to move about freely. They were dangerous still, for Chrissakes! He didn't want them to just become tangible beings, or, worse—he didn't want them to go into any random person and end up killing them.

The Kyūbi was silent for a minute. '_I'm not sure,' _it told Shikamaru, making his heart sink. '_I don't know what will happen, what this will turn into. I can't tell you for sure. But… we can at least get rid of one.'_

**_'Get rid of…? You're killing one of them?' _**Shikamaru asked, shocked.

_'Of course,' _responded the Kyūbi, as if it weren't talking about one of his fellows. '_I need to ensure that this will never happen again, Nara. This is the only way. Don't think for a second there's another way, because there isn't. There will always be another human who'll try to do this, and then they'll be another one. While you've managed to nip this in the bud this time around, the odds are the future can't do the same things you can. This is my way of ensuring the future, by getting rid of one of my own. We all have to give up something.'_

**_'So what am I giving up?' _**Shikamaru asked him, his frown tightening. '**_If anything?'_**

The Kyūbi sighed. '_My chakra, in the dosage I'm going to have to give it to you, could rip apart at your own stores. You'd have my levels for this time, but for the rest of your life, your chakra levels would be very low, almost like a civilian's. You'd be giving up a hell of a lot.' _Shikamaru swallowed dryly, not expecting that sort of response. He should've figured as much, but he just wasn't. It was slightly terrifying to hear. He'd worked damned hard to get to the place he was at, much to his own surprise. He'd have to quit being an ANBU if he did this, with the lack of chakra he would have. Hell, he'd have to resign completely as a shinobi. What help could he be without chakra, after all? He'd be able to do nothing.

Normally, he'd refuse the Kyūbi's chakra. But the effort without it would end up killing him, surely. He'd rather become a civilian than be dead. He had things to get back to—namely, Temari. They had plans. He was intent on seeing all of them through. If anything would kill him, it would be _that_, not something like this! But… would Temari even feel the same way about him if they were no longer in the same profession? If he couldn't protect her, the way he should be able to? Would this mean, possibly, losing Temari? He swallowed. Both ways seemed bad. Both ways seemed horrible. Both ways had him worrying, uncertain, and confused. That is never a good way for a Nara to be, especially a Nara like him. A confused Shikamaru made for possibly bad decisions and dead bodies. It was dangerous.

* * *

Obito hated being followed. It made him feel as if he had no skills as a shinobi, being followed so easily by not one, not even two, but three shinobi. In his defense, these shinobi had been trained to track since they were very young—probably toddlers. Tracking was their lives, and tracking was definitely what they excelled in. Following Obito, with the pungent scent of death that surrounded him, was more than easy for the trio, two of whom were following him completely on scent.

It didn't matter to Obito. He hated that he was a world-class criminal, unable to be found by multiple shinobi for many years, and here he was, being followed by teenaged shinobi, no less. It was a major blow to his pride, really, to be followed by them. It made him want to kill them, brutally, and leave their bodies for Kakashi to find.

The feeling was only intensified by the fact that they seemed to be catching up with him.

Turning around and quickly weaving his hand signs, Obito sent a plume of flames towards them, hoping to keep them occupied by the hidden shuriken within them. If it killed them, great. But if it didn't, he'd take care of that within seconds. It was of no issue. Using his Sharingan, he teleported himself behind the Inuzuka male as he weaved in between the flames, careful. Obito used his distraction to drop-kick him in the ribs, making him fly towards the ground, hitting it hard enough for a cloud of dust to be kicked up. The dog growled and, bunching up its muscles, lunged at Obito only to pass straight through the Uchiha. Obito nearly celebrated before he felt a kick connect with the back of his head, sending him flying towards the trunks of one of the trees face-first.

Growling, he whipped around to see Kakashi standing on a branch, crouching low. Suddenly, he jumped up, hurtling towards Obito. The Uchiha didn't even have the time to think about using his Mangekyō as Kakashi's fist connected with his stomach, the two men breaking through the tree and flying straight into the next. Kakashi's eyes were filled with remorse and anger, neither of which kept him from being able to connect his hits on Obito.

Obito saw his chance upon realizing that Kakashi's normal eye had been closed in order for him to avoid seeing double. Smirking, he punched him in his blind spot, making him stumble back enough for Obito to jump off the branch and out of Kakashi's reach, landing on a branch none too far from Shino. It was a good spot, it seemed, as he pulled his gunbai off of his back and, without much thought, used it exactly like a fan, or, more accurately in the cases of the shinobi present; like Temari's fan. Shino was nearly flown away, but Obito didn't care much if he was gone—he wanted those damned kikaichu gone! Many of the bugs couldn't handle the wind; they were blown away almost too easily.

Obito grinned and dropped one hand from the handle of his fan, opening his palm and forcing a sharpened stake of wood out, wasting no time in throwing it at the unguarded shinobi, successfully impaling his shoulder. Shino winced loudly and grabbed his shoulder, pulling out the wood stake.

_Two down, _thought Obito with a grin, turning his attentions to Kakashi. He could kill Kakashi now. It would certainly feel good. But, Obito figured, it would be similar to eating a cup of sugar. It would be a rush of energy, but it would be over quickly. Simply killing Kakashi wasn't enough. No, Kakashi had to suffer. Obito flexed his knuckles, his grin growing. He knew just what to do. Lunging, he struck Kakashi with the fan like it was a bat, making the silver-haired man fly before he exploded in a cloud of smoke. Like he had figured, Kakashi had swapped out for a clone. He could almost feel his chakra behind himself. Chuckling, he made himself intangible, making Kakashi pass right through him. He waited until Kakashi was all the way through him to grab his ankle, throwing him into Shino, who hadn't fallen until Kakashi had forced him to fall.

That was all he really needed, using his Mangekyō to teleport himself out. Those three were the major problems, having such fine chakra-sensing skills. Unlike them, Shisui could only 'see' chakra, and while his reflexes were beyond normal, he couldn't just react to only just 'sight'. And Gaara's sand was his reactor, but if his sand couldn't react in time, he couldn't do anything.

He'd heard Kakashi's words to that brat. 'Let me be the adult and protect you, kid.' Obito was no idiot. He knew the brat's name, and he knew why he might be important to Kakashi. He was one of Uzumaki Naruto's current students, yes, but he was also the kid brother of Gekkō Hayate. Hayate was a friend of Kakashi's, and Naruto might as well be a son that Kakashi never had. That made Shizuka, and any student of Naruto's, or brother of Hayate's, in affect one of Kakashi's own kin.

That made him worth killing.

* * *

Shikaru hadn't always cared about the kids in his group. He had watched, from the outside of their group, and grew to hate them all, believing them all to not know a thing about what they were getting involved with; becoming a shinobi. Didn't they understand that they'd have to kill? He did. It was already too late for him, he believed, to worry about having something like that on his conscience. Though his uncle had offered him an option, on whether or not to dedicate his life to Konoha in the capacity of a ninja; he had decided that he hadn't had the option anymore.

He thought it was stupid to see that these kids would throw their lives away so easily, so readily; in the name of political machine that was also known as the Land of Fire's Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

He had thought they were all childish and stupid in their ideas. He had not thought anything different about his teammates upon graduation. He didn't care that they were both younger than him; it happened a lot. What he cared about was that they had options he didn't feel he'd gotten from life. They didn't have to do this, to give their lives to kill for a village. He had hated them, hated their happiness, their smiles. He didn't understand why they'd do this.

He didn't get then that Shizuka, Naruto, and Hanabi had about as much as a choice as he did. Hanabi's entire childhood had been spent learning how to kill men triple her size with nothing but pure chakra, also living in the shadow of her older sister and cousin's own greatnesses. As a Hyūga, Hanabi had a lot to prove to the world about her strength. She would be dishonored if she didn't become a kunoichi. Shizuka was the younger brother of a great hero in Konoha. He had grown up under the eyes of many, disparaged by many by his seemingly meek disposition. Adults in the village didn't notice that he had to fight for himself, and he didn't want their help fending for himself. Both of them had to be harder than the average person in order to survive to the age of Genin. And Naruto? He was the Nine-Tails container, and had experienced loneliness all too similar to Shizuka's own.  
These people had completely redefined the meaning of a shinobi to Shikaru. Before them, he had thought that only three people, out of the world, could possibly love him despite not understanding him. But he had quickly learned there was a multitude of people who not only understood him, but would bear the burden with him as well. They were his lifelines, no—his entire life. He would rather die than watch any one of them be harmed, be killed. He would die to protect them, tooth and nail; until he was skin and bones.

He believed that he needed to protect true shinobi, with his own life, even if it meant bringing harm to people that were his own blood. He had to, in order to protect that ideal he had no idea he actually possessed.

With both the Rinnegan and the Sharingan, and now a temporary form of the Byakugan, Shikaru had the capability to successfully track any shinobi without much thought on his own part. The Byakugan could see the chakra moving, and it enhanced the ability of the Sharingan to see through genjutsu. Added to the fact that the Rinnegan could estimate down to the last decimeter where someone would end up, it made his tracking capabilities temporarily the best. He could see Obito's movements clearly, as if he never left this plane. He could also see where he was going—to Shizuka, who was unconscious.

He sent chakra to his feet, forcing himself to be faster and jumping off the branch with more power than any thirteen year old should rightfully have, gritting his teeth. He watched as Obito began to appear in the physical plane, tightening his grip on the handle of the fan. Shikaru knew, as clear as day, what he was going to do. Obviously, he would get nothing out of killing Gaara or that blind man. But he got a lot out of killing Shizuka. Too much. Shikaru refrained from growling under his breath, instead flexing his fist and rearing his foot back as he flew at Obito. He got there none too soon—Obito began to swing his fan, marking his tangibility, as Shikaru's foot struck him in the cheek, sending him flying meters away. Shikaru skidded to a stop, digging his fingers into the hard dirt of the space.

As Obito pulled himself back together in moments, the other two shinobi pulled themselves together, realizing quickly what had just happened. Shikaru's breath was heavy, and his brow furrowed. He was running low on energy. He felt like he was going to collapse at any moment, like he was going to fall dead asleep in the middle of protecting Shizuka _and _trying to make Obito see what he was doing was wrong.

"Another brat," growled Obito, standing up, his own Sharingan active. Shikaru wasn't sure whether or not to count the Rinnegan as his, as he had it surgically implanted. It was almost a cheat, in Shikaru's eyes, and such a needless thing. The Rinnegan was such a burden to have… "You're Uchiha, kid," said Obito, interrupting Shikaru's thoughts, "And considering your past… don't you see what I'm doing is the right thing?"

Shikaru didn't answer, darting forwards with full speed to connect his foot with Obito's gut, moving too fast for the man to anticipate and intercept the attack. He took the full force, nearly bending over to grab his abdomen. Shikaru took the opportunity present to jump up, kicking him in the head again and dropping him to the ground. He leaped back a few meters, putting space between himself and Obito. He couldn't afford to waste any chakra, which was why he deactivated all of the dōjutsu he was currently in possession of. No, he was going to force himself to rely on taijutsu, an area he was skilled enough in to be on-par with Naruto.

Of course, Naruto was no Obito. Obito was definitely stronger, Shikaru knew that. Obito growled and lunged at him. Without his Sharingan active, Shikaru barely had time to anticipate, bringing up his arm to block Obito's right hook, but he found himself largely unable to deflect the left kick to his side. Thankfully, he had sense enough to angle his body out of the way enough for it only to clip him, but it was still painful. He brought his own foot up, only to have it go through Obito. He managed to stop his movements before he fell over and lunged again, swinging his right fist at the same time as Obito. He went through him, much to surprise. He didn't have the time to think about it, as Obito formed a spear out of wood. He figured Shikaru would have the same value to Kakashi as Shizuka might, so that made him a good target to kill as well. He smirked, more than happy to strike while his back was turned.

Of course, Gaara and Shisui moved faster. Gaara's sand formed a wall between him and Shikaru, while Shisui met Obito's spear with a chakra-formed kunai. "Again, otouto?" growled Obito angrily. Shisui growled, too angry to think of words. Instead, moving quicker than Obito actually realized he could, he formed another kunai out of chakra, plunging it deep into Obito's hip, scraping at the bone. He yelled out in pain, leaping away from Shisui. Shisui's actions infuriated Obito to his apparent boiling point, as he yelled, "What kind of moron are you? I am trying to help the Uchiha, to help all those Konohagakure had wronged by destroying the system that has wrecked our lives! Can't you see that?"

"All I can 'see' is a man who has fallen so far that he believes in hurting children," responded Shisui as Gaara's sand wall crumbled. Shikaru, now able to see since the sand had gone away, stared at Shisui's back, eyes wide. A flicker of a memory came back to him. Involving this man, and his mother. All he could remember was all the bad things, but there had been a moment he'd felt such relief.

"Shi…" whispered Shikaru, managing to finally put two and two together. It'd been Shi he'd seen, Shi was in his memories. Shi was… _holy shit. _"Otousan…" A memory of this man's back filled his head, fading in the distance. And now… it was the same back. He could hardly believe it was real; that it was here. That _he _was here, and that he was here protecting him. It was like a really good dream, for him to see his father. Any other moment, he could've broken down in tears. But it just wasn't the time. There were other moments for it. He gritted his teeth, scolding himself already for that moment of weakness, pulling out a kunai and throwing it at Obito. It went through him, but at the exact moment it was through, Gaara made his own attack, wrapping his sand around Obito's arm and crushing it, effectively breaking the bones within it.

Obito cursed and grabbed at his upper arm, jumping away from Shisui, detaching his right arm, keeping his eyes trained on Gaara's sand. Apparently, he hadn't paid much attention to Shisui's career as a shinobi, or what he was called. It was literally a flash. One moment, he was standing still, and in the next, he was behind him with his kunais, slicing off his left arm. Obito yelled out in pain as the appendage fell to the ground. He wanted to use his intangibility, but he felt drained of chakra, a fact he didn't try to question. He was relying, therefore, on his raw ninjutsu skills, which were plentiful. Trying to force the regeneration, he supplied more chakra to his endings, forcing the arms to grow faster. He couldn't afford to be without them, not even for a moment.

Shikaru didn't need a full moment, however; as he ran at him full tilt, desperate to show his father that he could survive on his own. That he was alright, that he didn't need his father to fight his battles. Jumping up, he swung his foot into Obito's face, connecting hard with his skull and making the man drop like a rock. He wasn't down for the count, though, and with a newly regenerated hand, grabbed Shikaru by the ankle as soon as he landed, pulling his foot out from underneath him and snapping his ankle. Shikaru bit down into his bottom lip, keeping from screaming out in pain. Blood dripped down his chin, cold and wet on the skin of his chin.

Shisui sliced the appendage, cutting off the fresh arm, much to Obito's absolute irritation. Shisui picked Obito up by the neck, his entire face dark and filled with unchecked anger and pure hatred. Shisui didn't speak a word as he pushed a large sum of chakra to his hand and threw Obito across the space, causing him to break through three trees before he finally tumbled to a stop, knocked fully unconscious by the throw.

Shisui made his way over to his son, who was trying to walk on his broken foot. He collapsed, much to both men's displeasure and worry. When he tried to get up again, Gaara's sand wrapped around his uninjured leg and bound him to the ground, much to his dismay. "K-Kazekage-sama!" he said, surprised by Gaara's actions. He didn't understand why Gaara was doing it. Was it to help him? To hurt him? "I-I… I'm okay."

"Stop," said Gaara in an authoritative voice, arms crossed over his chest as Shisui came up next to him, his face still dark with leftover anger. "I don't want you to make your ankle worse than it is," he said, forcing himself to calm down. When Obito had broken Shikaru's ankle, he'd wanted to snap Obito's neck. What kind of man harmed family? He couldn't comprehend such a thing. _A man who harms family deserve to die a slow and painful death, _he thought, looking at the young boy as he sat down. Hesitantly, he removed his sand, in order to let him sit more comfortably. He carefully cradled his ankle.  
"I…" Shikaru rubbed his chin, wiping the blood off. "I don't think that's possible," he said, smiling softly at his pathetic attempt to alleviate the mood. Shisui smiled softly as well, making his way over to him hesitantly. He crouched in front of him, gently wrapping his slender fingers around his ankle. Shikaru winced, flinching at his cold touch. He stared at the blind man from the music store—no, his father. He swallowed dryly, preparing to apologize to him, for not being a good enough son for him. For not doing rightly by him.

"I'm…" began Shikaru, only to be interrupted quickly.

"No," said Shisui, not turning his face. "Don't you dare to apologize. You've done nothing wrong, nothing wrong at all. You're perfect." Keeping one hand on Shikaru's ankle, he angled his face towards Shikaru's, his dark sunglasses supplying the illusion to Shikaru that his father was looking him in the eyes. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't do my duty as a father for you. I… I failed you, Obi—Shikaru. I've failed you."

"I killed Okaasan," he admitted aloud in a hoarse whisper, tears coming to his eyes. He had always wondered how he would tell his father, if he was alive, what would happen to his mother. Now that it was happening, all he could think was that it would be a complete catastrophe. He braced himself for the worst, stiffening up and closing his eyes.

Shisui didn't even flinch, putting a hand on Shikaru's cheek, much to the preteen's surprise. He smiled at him, and Shikaru's heart felt warm. No words were needed. The smile said it all. His father understood and forgave him, and he loved him anyways. Shikaru gave a wobbly smile, not noticing the tears that sprung from his eyes. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms tightly around Shisui's neck, surprising him as he burst into heavy tears, sobbing into the fabric of his father's jacket.

This was how Kakashi, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru found the three of them; one sobbing heavily, one holding the sobbing one, and the other watching on like nothing was happening, until the four shinobi's sandals touched ground. Gaara's jade eyes immediately found them, making all of them feel awkward and heavy for interrupting a moment. "Took you long enough," said Gaara, shaking his head, and all Kiba could think was, _Wait, we're at fault right now? _He shook his head. Sometimes, Akamaru was right—humans were confusing. Especially short, red-haired, perpetually angry, eyebrow-less ones.

"Where's Obito?" asked Kakashi, ignoring Gaara completely, much to the Kazekage's annoyance. Growling under his breath, he pointed to the broken trees off to the side. Kakashi's mouth gaped in surprise, shocked by the destruction they'd caused. Kakashi took a step, only to hear a twig snap. Immediately, he stopped, and held up his hand to ask for complete silence.

Obito lunged out of the trees, one of Shisui's chakra-formed kunai in his hand. Shisui 'saw' his movements, and pushed Shikaru out from his arms, making him fall a meter away, which was just enough space. Obito ran the kunai through Shisui's side, much to Shikaru's shock. His heart thudded in his ears to see the sight of his father, whom he had just reconnected with, being stabbed in the side by his own brother. The scent of blood tinged the air, and Shisui sucked in a breath of air when Obito pulled the kunai out.

"Not my target, but you'll do," said Obito simply, pushing Shisui away. Shikaru's head began to pound painfully, and the blood began to rush all the faster. He could only deduce the reaction as a sort of adrenaline rush, one that was numbing the pain in his ankle. He forced himself to his feet, drawing Obito's attention. "What, you next?"

His eyes snapped open, revealing a Mangekyō Sharingan in both of his eyes. The majority of the eye was black, but the pupil was completely blood red, and two red lines intersected through them. It reminded Kakashi of Sasuke's Mangekyō, and like every time he saw Sasuke's Mangekyō, he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Shikaru lunged at Obito, who was stunned by the fact that Shikaru had the powerful form of the Sharingan.

But it only made sense—he did, after all, kill his own mother.

Shikaru grabbed Obito by the collars of his shirt, pressing his feet against the man's abdomen for support, and slammed his forehead into Obito's, his teeth barred and gritted. Fresh red blood dripped down Shikaru's forehead as Obito gazed into Shikaru's eyes, unable to stop himself from being entranced by Shikaru's Mangekyō.

"Kako Nusumu!"

* * *

At the same moment, the detachment of the beasts had begun. Shikamaru screamed out in pain as he kept the seal opened, feeling like his body was being ripped to shreds by his own shadow. He felt like they were pulling at his skin, ripping at him, begging him in his head not to do this. They were like parasites on the host, trying to stop him from doing the right thing. Shikamaru pressed forwards, relentless. Blood dripped from his nose, past his lips, down his chin, and dripped slowly onto his lap.

"Shikamaru!" yelled Suigetsu, starting forwards.

"Suigetsu!" growled Neji from his own place. Both of them, deciding not to be useless any longer, were pushing chakra into the chains, keeping the beast tied down. "_SUIGETSU, DON'T YOU DARE TO FUCKING MOVE! HE'LL FUCKING __**DIE**__ IF WE MOVE! KEEP YOUR FUCKING POSITION!_" He couldn't blame Suigetsu, though. He wanted to help Shikamaru too. He was his friend, and he was in so much pain due to what he was doing. But they all had their parts in this, and if they didn't do theirs correctly, Shikamaru would most definitely die.

After all, Shikamaru had refused the Kyūbi's chakra.

The Jūbi's chakra rushed towards him, grabbing and ripping at him like his shadow was, trying desperately to make him stop. Shikamaru gritted his teeth and suppressed his cry, intent on finishing this and freeing Naruto and Hinata both. He closed his right eye, as the entire world was becoming red out of it. He knew what was happening—he was crying; but he was crying pure blood. Thankfully, it wasn't happening in his left eye. He needed to keep an eye on the beast.

"Shikamaru!" he dimly heard, but he didn't pay it any mind as the beast began to fight back harder, gathering its chakra to its mouth to form a beast ball. He knew where it was headed, and it only made him want to work harder. _Too late, _he thought, seeing the beast rear its head, the red chakra ball completely formed. He didn't close his remaining eye, though—he wanted to see his death.

At the same moment he ripped out the chakra he needed from it, it sent out the beast ball hurtling towards him.

And then the most amazing thing happened, in Shikamaru's eyes. A being formed of pure chakra surrounded him, violet in color. He looked up, exhausted, to see a malevolently grinning, demonic appearing warrior; its armor thick. It seemed to absorb the beast ball, completely taking the power of the attack into itself. A hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him out of the being, pulling him onto their back and running out with him and full speed. At first, Shikamaru was confused as to why, but found his answer when the beast ball exploded within the creation, it completely shielding the room and its inhabitants from the explosion.

Without hesitation, knowing the job was done, Suigetsu and Neji let go of the chains, running over to Sasuke, who's right eye was bleeding from the effort he had just gone through in order to protect Shikamaru. As soon as he was certain that it was safe, he deactivated his Mangekyō, immediately sighing in relief and closing his eyes. "Shit," he whispered, exhausted. "I… barely…" He didn't get to finish his sentence as Suigetsu hauled him roughly to his feet, punching him in the face. Neji stared at the purple-eyed shinobi, shocked by his actions. "Why did you…"

"Dammit, Sasuke," growled Suigetsu angrily, "Never do that shit again! What the fuck were you thinking?!"

"About… saving your… sorry ass…"

"Well, never do it again! _Ever! _Bastard," spat Suigetsu, letting Sasuke drop to the floor again and walking away, grumbling angrily to himself. Neji stared at him, shocked and confused by his display. He moved to go after him, but Sasuke grabbed him by the back of his pant leg, tugging on it. He shook his head tiredly, telling him without words that it was not worth it to question whatever was going on in Suigetsu's mind.

"That… that was his version… uh… of his… thank you… to me," he said, rubbing his right eye.

Neji opened his mouth to say something, but someone's scream of sadness ripped through the air, shocking the three boys there. Their heads whipped around to see Shikaru, his hands tight in the fabric of Shikamaru's Chūnin vest, crouched beside his cousin, tears running down his face heavily. "SHIKAMARU, WAKE THE FUCK UP!" he screamed, sobbing hysterically, searching his cousin's face for signs of life. "Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, WAKE UP, _WAKE THE FUCK UP! _You can't die here, Shikamaru, you can't! Get up! Please, please, please get up!"

Sasuke forced himself to his feet, stumbling over to Shikamaru and Shikaru, falling beside the pair. Shikaru looked at Sasuke with absolute fear in his eyes, not recognizing the shinobi. "S-Sasuke…! I… help me wake him up! Please! He needs help! He needs a doctor!" He bit his lip quickly, worrying the older boys present. "Get him… someone! Get him to anyone! I don't care! Just help him! Please help him! Don't let my cousin die! Please!"

Neji rushed over, pulling Shikaru away from Shikamaru. He screamed out and tried to grab him again, but Sasuke wrapped his arms around the boy, putting his hand over his mouth to suppress his screams. Neji activated his Byakugan, looking Shikamaru up and down before whipping around, turning to Suigetsu. "Do you know any ice techniques?! Forming ice?!"

"Y-Yeah!" responded Suigetsu, running over.

"Use one, on him, right now! His entire body is failing!" barked Neji, making way for Suigetsu. Suigetsu nodded, crouching down next to him and making the hand signs necessary. "I'll—"

"That's unnecessary."

Neji blinked and looked up, finding himself looking into the purple eyes of a man with Kankurō's face. Surprised, he stood up, his mouth opening, but unable to find the words. 'Kankurō' held up his hand, telling Neji not to bother with words. "I don't have the time to explain, so I'll just tell you… stand back. I've got this from here."

"Fuck off!" screamed Suigetsu, moving to start the jutsu. A flash of yellow filled his vision, and the four shinobi were shocked to find Naruto standing in between Suigetsu and Shikamaru, ocean blue eyes full of seriousness and concentration.

"Don't argue with him!" he yelled at Suigetsu, barring his teeth at the shinobi. "He's tryin' to help Shikamaru, Dattebayo! Just move, dammit!" He pushed Suigetsu back, making him stumble a few steps. He picked up Shikamaru's limp body, carrying him as if he were a delicate baby rather than a sixteen-year-old boy. Moving quickly, he laid him down on the edge of the small crater that had been created when the Jūbi had formed. "Sabaku, move your ass! You've only got a little time!"

Sabaku didn't need to be told twice, running over to Shikamaru and Naruto and crouching down, ripping open Shikamaru's vest and mesh armor with not even a second thought, baring his torso. "Kid, give me space. I don't want you to get hurt from this."

Naruto flicked him a glance. "Which one are you giving him?" he asked hesitantly.

"Two," he responded, forming hand signs quickly. "And foxes and kitties don't usually get along, kid. I'm worried it'll try to kill you, if I release it from hibernation." Naruto nodded, obviously respectful of what Sabaku was doing. He got up, looking down at Shikamaru's none-too-peaceful face. "I won't blow up before I'm done, I promise you. And, if I do, it'll protect him. Trust me. Just get outta here, alright? I trust you to get Hinata out for me, wherever she is."

"Gotcha, Dattebayo," responded Naurto, clapping Sabaku on the shoulder before turning around. "And, Sabaku?"

"… Yeah…?"

"Thank you."

"… You're welcome… Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto ran to the group of wide-eyed shinobi, not wasting time. "Where's Hinata?" he asked, low on breath.

Neji looked at Shikaru. Sasuke lowered his hand from Shikaru's mouth as Neji asked him pointedly, "Where are they?"

"I couldn't get to them," said Shikaru in a low voice. "There's a sort of chakra barrier around the area they're in… I dunno how to describe it, but it feels like a jinchūriki's chakra."

"Why didn't you use the Sharingan on it?" asked Suigetsu, confused. "Destroy it with some flame shit or something? Kid, couldn't you just blow through it or something? You ain't weak…"

Sasuke sighed. "Because this isn't Shikaru," he said, pushing the clone away. "This is a shadow clone, a shadow clone with little to no chakra left. Even if he'd broken through the barrier, he wouldn't have made it back—he would've disappeared." Shikaru's clone looked down at his sandals, remaining silent.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, sincerely apologetic. "But I… I also found something else." He pulled a scroll out of his back pouch and stuffed it into Sasuke's hands. He swallowed dryly. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more."

"Stop," said Naruto in a whisper, putting his hand on Shikaru's shoulder. "You did what you could, with what you have to work with." He turned the boy to face him. "I need you to give a message to Shikaru for me…"

* * *

Shikaru's eyes snapped wide open as he processed the information that suddenly ran through his mind, sitting bolt upright and making the warm, wet cloth on his forehead fly off. Kakashi, who was closest, looked over at him, confused. Shikaru's eyes widened as his frown increased. Kakashi finished tying Obito's hands together and turned his full attention towards Shikaru. "What?" he asked; confused.

"We need to get out of here," he said, wincing as he pushed himself to his feet. "All of us. You, me, father, Obito, everyone in this forest! We need to get out, to get out now! Or else—we'll all be killed! Everything in the kilometer is going to explode in a few minutes, and we will too if we don't get out!"

**過去盗む ****(Kako Nusumu) in English, literally means 'Past Stealer'. That's Shikaru's Mangekyo Sharingan, the ability to manipulate a person's memory bank. And, don't forget, there's two sides to each Mangekyo. That's only one part. For this, he has simply taken Obito's memories for a brief amount of time. And the Mangekyo I described is my imagination. It's not spectacular, like Sasuke's is, but it's what I wanted. **


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Of Resolutions, Part 1

**So, while I like this chapter, it was incredibly depressing for me to write. Not because it has an unhappy ending, but because... well, I thought the ending left something to be desired, but this was the best my hectic mind could come up with. :( So I'm depressed that I couldn't end it more gracefully than how I did, but I hope you guys like it anyways. **

**McKazekage****: thank you for pointing out that error. Never even saw it. And thanks for that, about the amount of reviews, made me giggle :) (Also, yes, Shikamaru's getting the Two-Tails). ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: haha, thanks. I thought that chapter was kind of hectic myself, glad to see that people understood what was going on. Makes me feel like I'm not just some weird kid with way too much shit in her head, so... x) **

**I hope people enjoy. **

Not many people knew it, but Sasuke would rather gnaw off his right arm rather than know that one of his friends was being harmed and knowing he was unable to do a damned thing about it. Some would call it pride; others would call it pure worry. Yes, Uchiha Sasuke cared about people enough to worry about them. Despite his rough, callous exterior, Sasuke was a human being; and as a human being he loved, he cared, he felt pain, he felt anguish. Every human emotion imaginable was there for him to feel. For a while, he'd forced those feelings away. He'd forced himself to become this shell of a man in order to achieve his goals, and then he blamed it on other people that this had to happen to him. For what reasons, really; he was unsure of now. Maybe stupidity, or childishness, but he didn't truly know what.

What he did know was that the people who showed him what type of moron he'd been were the people he would gnaw off both his arms for if that meant they'd be safe. Uchiha Sasuke was not known for selflessness, but he was known for attaching to lifelines, when he needed them. And he knew fully well that the Konoha Eleven were those lifelines, especially Naruto, and yes; Hinata as well. After all, they were the two who'd forced him back into the village life. He had them to thank for making Jōnin, for garnering a student, for making a life out of what he'd nearly destroyed.

Naruto ran alongside him, keeping pace easily with Sasuke. Sasuke was more tired than him, whereas he was practically bouncing off of the walls, endless in energy. Sasuke wondered to himself if that was a result of being a container, or of just being Uzumaki Naruto. Touching his own stomach, he frowned for a second. No, Madara wouldn't help him, even if it was what he was supposed to do. He shivered, a fragment of a memory running through his mind of Madara breaking Akamaru's legs with _his _hands.

He felt so dirtied.

"Sasuke?" Sasuke blinked and looked over at the whisker-marked face of his best friend, his blue eyes looking into his own black ones with nothing but concern. Sasuke could tell that Naruto could read everything running through his eyes at that moment. He'd always had that ability, to tell what he was thinking. Despite how his own actions made him seen, Naruto was not really an idiot, at least; not when it came to people he knew and trusted. He swallowed and looked forwards. "I'm sorry."

No other words were really required. In fact, Sasuke didn't even need to hear them. "Not your fault," responded Sasuke, turning his gaze forward as well. "It's not like you helped them put the man in there."

"No, but…" Naruto sighed. "Someone should say it." After that admittance, the two of them moved in silence, the only sound heard was the sound of their sandals hitting the stone floor. They were completely relying on their own sensory skills, trying to find Kankurō and Hinata before the place exploded. The both of them knew they didn't have much time, and the both of them knew that what time they had they had left they had to use to get them out of the next kilometer, before it all exploded.

"Naruto," said Sasuke, drawing the boy's attention. He swallowed dryly. "When we get back to the village… I swear to all that's holy, I'm going to have a ramen-eating contest with you again. I will beat you this time, too. Shit, I am so fucking _hungry_."

Naruto was stunned for a minute before he laughed heartily, amused by Sasuke's admittance. "Of course you would mention having an appetite now!" he hollered, wiping his eyes and grinning. "You can try, you bastard, but trust me, you're not gonna beat me! I hold the record at Ichiraku for the most ramen bowls eaten—twenty-eight! Dattebayo!" He turned towards Sasuke, beaming at his best friend. "You're on! Death will not get you outta this challenge, Sasuke…_teme_!"

Despite himself, Sasuke found himself grinning like an idiot, which he hadn't done since he was a young boy, before the massacre. "Like I would die, you moron. You'd be the one who'd end up dead. But whatever, Naruto… _dobe_!" He held out two of his fingers towards Naruto, who immediately followed suit, locking the fingers together in a child's handshake, but the symbol of their long-standing friendship. An unspoken vow was exchanged between the two at that moment: _I won't let you die, if you don't let me die. _

And, when they pulled away, the promise was sealed. They continued moving forwards; onwards into the battlefield that they had no idea was taking place; intent on making it back alive together, no matter what; even if one had to drag back the other with one arm and one leg. They were not going to leave their comrade to die alone.

* * *

Shikaru was worried, but he knew there was pretty much nothing he could do. His ankle was broken, and his chakra was pretty much completely spent. He bit his lip. Of course he would be useless, now, of all time to be useless. Shyly, he looked over at Shizuka, who was unconscious and being carried by one of the shinobi Shino's kikai had managed to get out of the trees that Obito had created. Shizuka still hadn't awakened, and Shikaru was worried about him. What was wrong with him? He seemed uninjured—which was weird, considering the fact that Shikaru had ripped him through the middle. No injuries on his body.

Swallowing dryly, he looked at the back of Kakashi's head. Kakashi had, unexpectedly in his opinion, offered to carry him to the camps. Shikaru didn't mind it. Kakashi intrigued him; he couldn't explain how. Maybe it was his seriousness, or the fact that he was a sort of outlier as well, or maybe because… because he'd threatened Kakashi's life, yet, he still acted as if he was a regular boy.

"You're still awake?" asked Kakashi, not turning around.

"Y-Yeah," he replied, putting his mouth against his arm, dark eyes looking forwards, following the greenery with a childlike curiosity in his eyes. "I'm awake." He swallowed again, nervous. "I thought you hated me. Why did you come after me? Were you ordered to? I can understand if you were…"

"Stop," said Kakashi, light amusement in his voice. "Why do you think I'd hate you?"

"Because… because I'm a killer."

"So am I. I don't hate myself… well, not all the time, I guess."

"I'm different from you."

"I agree. But I don't hate what's different from me. What kind of shitty person would I be if I hated anything different from me?" Shikaru spotted movements in the muscles of his visible face that lent him to believe he was smiling a little, at the very least. "I was that person, once. I did hate someone, for a while, because he wasn't me, and I couldn't understand his points. He broke rules, I didn't. I hated him for being free in a cage, and he hated me for thinking there was a cage in the first place. He changed me… when he told me something important."

"What?" asked Shikaru, confused.

Kakashi sighed. "We were on a mission, and our comrade got captured. Back in my younger days, shinobi often left their captured comrades behind, in order to achieve the mission goal. It was a rule that I was intent on following… and he didn't. He told me… that those who break the rules are called trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. He told me that he'd rather break the rules, and that he would crush the ideal shinobi. It took me a while to understand, but…" He looked up; feeling drops of water beginning to fall from the sky. "…What he told me was that the rules are not correct, not by a long shot. He told me to protect all my comrades. I consider anyone wearing an Allied Forces headband to be my comrade, just like you are."

* * *

Suigetsu brought the cigarette to his mouth with a shaking hand, which he had long since given up on quelling. He looked over at Shikamaru, whom the man—Sabaku—was still sealing the Nibi within, much to Suigetsu's dismay. Not that he would vocalize his thoughts, but he really wanted Sabaku to finish up with whatever the hell it was that he was doing. He knew Sabaku was doing his best, and he respected it; but really, what person is absolutely comfortable flirting with death the way he was? After all, the man was an equivalent of an atomic bomb, and instead of running away—like a smart person would—Suigetsu was _staying_.

Why?

It was because he was _worried_ about the Nara. Hours ago, Suigetsu would've sneered at the idea of being close with him. However, he'd grown close to him. Shikamaru was weird, but highly amusing. Suigetsu had, admittedly, a weird taste when it came to making friends—it was the only way he could possibly justify becoming friends with Jūgo—but it wasn't something he tried to question. He considered Shikamaru to be a friend, as well as Neji and Sasuke, and Karin, too; when she was sane. But now he just seemed to be running out of friends, and he'd be damned if he just let this vaguely normal one slip out of his fingers.

He blew a ring of smoke up towards the ceiling, semi-pleased he had managed it. Apparently, he wasn't too nervous to blow a perfect smoke ring. Not yet, anyhow. That thought only made his frown deepen, and he swallowed and looked back down, just in time to see a skin of water land on his lap. Confused, he looked up at the only other son-of-a-bitch who was crazy enough to stick around with him.

"Keep your fluids up," said Neji, frowning and leaning back. _Must've noticed I emptied my bottle, _Suigetsu thought, shrugging it off as he nodded at Neji, opening the skin bottle and taking a swig of the warm water. Though Suigetsu much more preferred cool water—it went down better—he appreciated that Neji was fine with sharing water with him. "I don't have any food, though. All I have are soldier pills. Hardly substitute any sort of food group."

Suigetsu shrugged again. "It's fine. Thanks." He took another drag of a cigarette he'd bummed off of Shikamaru, slightly guilty about stealing from an unconscious comrade. He held out the cigarette for Neji to take, which after some amount of hesitation he did; only to hand it right back after one small puff. "Never smoked before?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the Hyūga male.

"No, and I never will again. That's horrible," he said, coughing. "Don't know how you and Shikamaru can do that. It'll kill you."

"In this business, I'm pretty sure it'll be the last thing that'll kill me," said Suigetsu with a small smile, which faltered due to his nervousness. He looked back up at the ceiling, sighing. "Why the hell do I care so much?" he asked aloud, biting his lip with his sharp teeth. "I don't even really know the bastard. After all this bullshit is said and done, I'm not gonna see either of you again. So why didn't I ditch before, while I had an early opportunity?"

Neji frowned at him. "Fuck you," he responded, narrowing his eyes at him. Suigetsu blinked and looked at him, raising an eyebrow at Neji. "You can't be an idiot. You can't honestly believe that you're that simple," Neji seethed, looking away from Suigetsu. "You're a shinobi, yeah, but you're a human being first. Regardless of all that emotional training you Kiri nin got as kids, you think and feel just the same as I do. You care about Shikamaru—as a friend, like you cared about Jūgo-san, who you lost not even a full twelve hours ago. Humans cling harder to what they care about when losing something else. You might be a new friend, but you're a friend nonetheless. At least, that's how we lowly Konoha nin think. We stand by our duties, but we will drop them—in a heartbeat—in order to make sure our comrades are okay. Because, in the end, you may be the best shinobi in the world, but if you don't have precious people; you're not worth jack shit."

Suigetsu frowned in response. "I am worth something."

"You're worth something because you had people to push you. I've read your file. You had your brother, and then you had Sasuke, and after Sasuke you had Jūgo. You might not realize it—hell, I know you don't—but you're a dependent person, Suigetsu. That isn't a bad thing. It makes you reliable." Neji looked down at his hands. "Shinobi like you shouldn't be missing nin."

Suigetsu coughed an awkward laugh. "You're joking. Why the hell would I wanna be enlisted in some country's roster? That's stupid."

"Think about it, Suigetsu," said Neji with a sigh, standing up. "Just think about it. I'm not gonna give you my opinions, or try to persuade you. It's not my place." He rubbed his eyes. "But I hope you can realize it doesn't hurt to put faith in your comrades, despite the life you've been given." He activated his Byakugan, staring at Shikamaru. "It looks like he's almost done with him."

Suigetsu frowned, staring at Sabaku instead. "It also looks like _he's _almost done." Neji's own frown deepened as he looked up, watching Sabaku's chakra flow (if he could say that a being made of pure chakra really had a discernable chakra flow, really), noticing it was growing wilder; haphazard. He was becoming dangerous right before his eyes, and it was definitely unsettling him. He deactivated his Byakugan, realizing he didn't need it to see that the man was actually glowing, a bright yellow color; like the sun reflecting off of sand. The chakra was destabilizing, rapidly. And it'd only been, what—fifteen minutes? Twenty minutes at the most, for sure. How much time did that give them until he blew up? How much time did that give them to get the hell out of this hideout, with Shikamaru?

It was not looking very good.

He could only hope that Sabaku was right when he said that the Nibi would protect Shikamaru, something that was really only a hypothesis made by the Kyūbi and had pissed Neji off to no end. Neji knew he had to suck it up, because as of right now it was looking like his life was dependent on that hypothesis being correct. Because, if the Nibi could protect Shikamaru, it was possible that it could protect them as well.

At least, he hoped that would happen.

* * *

An explosion from a far distance was what distracted Kankurō. Not for very long—only milliseconds—but that was all it took for Hyūga Suki to take advantage of the situation, avoiding the Earth-natured attack that Kankurō had used through the faceless puppet, going straight to him and kicking him in the chest, making him fly back at least ten meters, grabbing onto his breastplate and cursing like a sailor, pissed that he lost focus against this woman. Any opening was something big, especially with her. He found out early on in the battle that she could use the Gentle Fist from any part of her body—_any. _The kick, though powerful on its own, sent his major chakra network into an indescribable frenzy, making him cough up blood. In the back of his mind, he remembered that Neji had injured Hinata greatly during the Chūnin exams with that attack.

Spitting blood out of his mouth and holding his sort chest, he chastised himself. Thankfully, it'd missed a considerable amount of the center of his chakra, but most of what she'd gotten was constricting around his right lung, if he wasn't mistaken. That left him with practically one lung. He couldn't afford another hit, especially with the way he'd received it. Not only would his ribs cave in, but both his lungs would be damaged, and he had no doubts that her next target was his other lung.

"One wonders where Kabuto is," he said hoarsely, brows furrowed and dark eyes trained on her face.

She shrugged. "I assume, somewhere, watching us," she said carelessly, looking around. "I must say, I'm impressed with you. Obviously, my daughter has good taste in men. I haven't worked this hard fighting anyone in my life." The destruction they'd laid to the room was practically indescribable. Earth formations came up at random points, the way they were formed making it obvious to the eye that they were, at one point, shields. Disarmed paper tags littered areas, and areas of obvious detonation were scattered about, senbon needles embedded into their small rock craters.

"Thanks," said Kankurō, smirking and wiping his chin. "I've worked hard to get to this point." With a twitch of his left pinky, Crow launched at her, grabbing onto her… only for a log to be in her place. Not sparing a moment, Kankurō jumped out of his place, watching her move to attack him there, swinging the katana just wide of his body. She wasted no time in lunging at him, swinging once more. With a flick of his wrist, Crow was in front of him, detaching its hands in order to parry with its wrist knives. Something akin to a smile appeared on Suki's face as she continued to move gracefully with the sword, matched evenly by Kankurō's puppetry skills. He continued to move back, his eyes continuing to find an opening of some sort. He found it in a deactivated paper tag close to Suki's foot. Wasting no time, he made the Seal of Confrontation, reactivating the tag with his chakra and making it explode without any time lapse.

He darted away, moving as fast as he could with his disadvantage, not taking his eyes off of Suki for even a millisecond, gritting his teeth as he pulled Crow back, having him circle around to find an opening. As Suki's entire leg regenerated, he sent forwards the faceless puppet, turning its hands into rock spikes, attacking Suki immediately. With its flexibility, Kankurō was able to navigate it in ways he never could with any other human-esque puppet, having it able to attack Suki almost exactly like a normal person. Gritting his teeth, he focused; intent on not messing up.

There was absolutely no misstep on his part, which was what made what happened next confusing to him to him until he noticed Suki's eyes. She stopped parrying and sliced off the spiked appendages with one sweep, her eyes empty and lifeless. He could only guess that Kabuto decided to use her completely as a puppet now, stealing away what was left of her humanity. She gasped, her brows furrowing. She was in there, but she was not in control. Jumping up, she kicked the puppet in its side, sending it flying off to the side and not wasting a moment in running at him at full speed, apologies on her face.

Panicking slightly, Kankurō sent Crow flying at her, jumping up into the air. She dodged Crow easily, leaping up into the air. He cursed—he couldn't move in midair! _Fuck! _Kankurō thought, disconnecting a stand of chakra from Crow and attaching it to Suki's upper arm, changing the angle of the swipe of her katana so that it only sliced at his upper thigh, none too deep at all, but painful nonetheless. Not wasting his time, he kicked her, making her drop to the ground. None too gracefully, he landed on the top of one of the shield remains, nearly out of breath and shaking on his replacement leg. He was running out of energy for this, as well as patience. He felt as if he was going to drop dead at any second, and not by Suki's hand, but by pure exhaustion.

Of course, the former seemed intent on happening, too. A flicker was all he got of Suki's movements before she was over him, preparing to strike him with the katana. Moving quickly to his back pouch, he pulled out his last kunai knife, bringing it up to protect himself, metal clashing with metal. Gritting his teeth, he pushed her off; only to have his artificial leg give out. With a scream of pain, he tumbled off of the shield, landing hard on his back thirteen feet below; the air knocked out of his lungs by the force of the fall. He watched through bleary eyes as Suki leaped down at him, raising her katana up to strike at him…

…And to be blown away by a thrown ball of pure chakra, breaking through the stone structure. "Shit," he heard someone say, accompanied by the sound of someone running towards him. His vision was filled by a yellow-haired boy with worried blue eyes. "Kankurō! Hey! Are ya in there?!"

"N… N-Nar… uto…" coughed Kankurō, blinking his eyes. Naruto sighed in relief, more than happy to see he was still alive.

"Shit, don't do that to me," he said, pulling Kankurō to his feet, putting his arm over his shoulder. "You can't die yet, idiot."

"I d… d-doubt you have… any sorta r-right to call me an… idiot, N… Naruto…" said Kankurō, wanting to say that he could support himself, but what was left of his natural leg was throbbing, screaming in pain, telling him that he needed to let Naruto help him. His head was screaming at him as well, making him practically see double. His mind was filled with questions, a large majority of which he already knew the answers to. Though, one question was bothering him. "W-When…?"

"When what?" asked Naruto, laying him down carefully.

"W-When did you… weren't you… the J-Jū…bi…?"

Naruto's eyes filled with understanding. "Oh." He shrugged. "Couple of minutes ago, I figure, but it's unimportant."

"B-But… Hina… chan… she's…"

"Right here," said Naruto, pointing and smiling. Kankurō turned his head, looking up into beautiful, pale lavender eyes. A small, soft hand cupped his cheek gently as those eyes looked him up and down. Probably finding him to be a miserable mess of a man, but he didn't care. What mattered was that they were _her _eyes, _her _hand, _and her _thoughts about ūga Hinata smiled softly down at him and leaned over him, pressing her lips gently against his lips, trying not to cause him any pain. If he felt any, he didn't show it, kissing her back just as gently.

"Hin… Hina-chan," he murmured against her lips, "I c-came… fo… for you."

She barely held back tears. "Kūro-koi," she whispered lovingly as she rubbed his bruised, scratched cheek, staring intently at his face as she spoke. "I knew you would."

Naruto looked down at the two of them for a second longer before leaping away, joining Sasuke in the battle he was fighting against Suki and currently losing. Without a thought, he pulled a shuriken out of his thigh holster and threw it at her, causing her to avert her attention from Sasuke as the Uchiha in question pulled out a roll of wire, moving quickly to get it around her torso, keeping her in place so she would have to take Naruto's shuriken to the hand, causing her to drop the katana. Immediately, Sasuke let go of the wire and grabbed the blade, only to be kicked powerfully in the side, making him fly into a wall.

Not wasting time, she pulled the shuriken out and threw it at Naruto, making him dodge and therefore distracting him. She needed to kill Kankurō. It was the only thing on her mind. If she killed Kankurō, Kabuto swore he would release her, which was all she wanted; to be at peace again in the afterlife. Of course, the mother in her knew that killing Kankurō would destroy her daughter, but all she wanted at the moment was release from these earthly bindings. She just wanted to be at peace. She didn't want to be in the plane that she failed her family in, the plane that she had left a decade ago. She wanted to be in the freedom and eternal rest that was the beyond.

She felt that killing Kankurō would take her there.

The boy in question was being held by her daughter, in fact, something she didn't notice. She pulled a kunai out of her back pouch, moving faster, intent on slitting his throat and spilling his blood in the way Kabuto wanted to see. Of course, she didn't remember Hinata's ANBU training, or Kankurō's need to protect everyone. Hinata rushed to her feet, standing in front of him, ready to take the attack. Kankurō, meanwhile, managed to find the strength to stand, and stood in front of her, his dark brown eyes hard and protective.

That look reminded her of Hiashi's. When she had been a little girl, after she got out of ROOT, villagers took to throwing objects at her, like coins and pebbles. She hadn't minded. She thought she deserved the hatred of these villagers. She was a monster, engineered to kill. Every day, when she walked through the village in her civilian clothes, she endured hatred, she endured the thrown objects, and she endured the looks. One day, she was taking Kō to the Academy when one man—an off-duty ANBU whose brother had been abducted by ROOT, began to taunt her, to curse at her, to touch her. Her automatic reaction had been to protect Kō, and she did, wrapping her arms around her little brother and hugging him tight when he began to cry due to the things that were said about her. She didn't notice the man pull out a kunai and lunge at her, prepared to kill her.

What she did notice was when Hiashi, a young Jōnin at the time, came from seemingly nowhere and took the kunai into his palm for her. She hadn't talked to Hiashi much before; hadn't even really noticed him at all, despite the fact that he was the clan heir. Hiashi threatened the man with telling the police about trying to bring harm to fellow shinobi, effectively chasing him off. When he turned to her, he still had that look in his eyes. When she'd asked why he'd protected her, he responded, "I hear people call you a hideous monster for being trained to kill your closest without remorse… but what I see is a beautiful woman who will fiercely protect her closest without thought of her own life. A beautiful woman, whom, I believe, is the strongest person I'll ever meet in my entire life."

That was when she knew that she loved Hiashi.

And to see Hinata getting the same type of adoration that she had so obviously received from Hiashi was what set her free. She dropped the kunai, eyes wide as she felt the air on her skin, and could smell the blood in the air. She smiled softly, fearing something wet drip from her eye, and gazed straight into Kankurō's eyes, giving him a look of absolute respect. "Thank you," she whispered to the male before, encased in bright light, she disappeared from the physical plane.

* * *

Four years ago, when Hinata had saved Kankurō's life, she'd felt fear that compared to nothing else in her entire life. She was afraid to lose someone she cared about as deeply as he did, who understood her like no other person she could meet in her life. The fear had squeezed her heart tight, almost ripping its nails through the cardiac muscles, and made everything painful. She planned to never feel like she'd come that close to losing Kankurō ever again, since getting him back in her life. She didn't want to feel that way.

It was almost as if she'd never heard the expression, 'If you want to make God laugh, tell him all about your plans'.

Hinata felt exactly the same the way again as Kankurō collapsed within milliseconds of her mother disappearing, hacking up blood. Screaming, she fell to her knees, ghosting her hands over him, but not actually touching him, unsure of what to do, how to help him. She didn't have any salves or wraps with her, and whatever was making him cough up blood was beyond the reaches of any medical ninjutsu she might know. She felt powerless; useless. Nothing she could think of could possibly help him. That was probably the worst thing, for Hinata—thinking of something to do, but knowing that it would be futile.

Naruto jumped down; landing next to her, blue eyes wide. "O-Oh… shit…" he whispered, surprised to see him in such a bad state. "H-Holy… fuck almighty… this looks… b-bad." He swallowed. "Hinata?" he said, looking over at the panicking girl. Hinata's wide lavender eyes found him, but they didn't show recognition. Naruto deduced it to the fact that she was positively and completely distraught. He grabbed Hinata's hands, tightening his grip around them. "Hinata, it's going to be alright," he said, gulping heavily as he rested a hand on hers, trying to soothe her, only for her to yank her hand away immediately. "Hinata… listen to me!"

"He's not okay! Look at him! Look at him…" she began to sob, placing a hand over her mouth. "It's my fault!"

_Stop it! _Naruto thought automatically, not daring to say so out loud. Instead, he made his thoughts into action as he grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her as he pulled her away from Kankurō, much to her dismay. He swallowed dryly, remembering all the nights he had cried himself to sleep, believing he had deserved hatred. He remembered how much he had blamed himself when Sasuke had left. He remembered how much he had blamed himself for not being able to stop Sasuke, in the end, from leaving. He blamed himself for not seeing what was happening with Sakura, like a good teammate would've. It ripped him up on the insides, much like it was ripping Hinata up. He didn't want Hinata to feel that way. It wasn't right. It was downright cruel, actually. Hinata didn't deserve to feel that way.

Kankurō's eyes followed them, half-lidded and practically empty. Pure willpower was keeping Kankurō up, nothing more than that. But his will was getting weaker by the second, he knew it. Weakly, he moved his hand, his fingertips pressing against the ground he lay on, nearly unconscious now. "D-Don't cry, Hina-chan…" He gave her a weak smile, oblivious to how her tears were increasing immensely. "I… protected you… finally… protected you… I'm glad I…" He swallowed. "I'm glad I finally… didn't fuck it up… and kept you safe…" His eyes slid closed, and his smile began to fade. "I… finally…" he trailed off, his will finally dying out.

* * *

"Shit," said Sabaku loudly, garnering the attentions of both teenagers present. Automatically, the two were readying themselves for the worst, fearful of what Sabaku could possibly say as the manifestation leaped back, moving away from Shikamaru as quickly as he possibly could. Both young shinobi thought that the Nibi was going to take power immediately and try to kill the both of them, and so one can understand why Suigetsu picked up the Kubikiribōchō, immediately bringing it close to Shikamaru's throat.

"Whoa, whoa!" yelled Sabaku, waving his arms from across the room, "Just what the fuck are you doing? Why did I just waste time giving him the Nibi and saving his life if you're just gonna kill the poor bastard?"

Suigetsu blinked, and looked back at Neji, who had taken the Gentle Fist position. Both shinobi swallowed awkwardly and pulled back, unsure of how to react to Sabaku now. "You just… cursed… and ran away from him. I assumed…" said Neji, licking his lips.

"Don't assume, jackass," said Sabaku, making a vein in Neji's temple pop out without the use of his chakra. "You're a shinobi. You're not supposed to make assumptions about anything. Did I say that the Nibi was going to go murderous? No. I didn't." Sabaku swallowed, taking a deep breath. "I didn't curse because I was unsuccessful. I was. But not in the way I thought would happen. The Nibi went into hibernation due to the fact that it was weak from the chakra drain it'd had from being within the Jūbi. When I sealed it within the boy, _successfully_, its remaining chakra went towards saving the container, in order to save itself from death. That's why he looks less like he's been through a meat grinder right now.

"Why I cursed is because as soon as it finished healing him, it went straight back into hibernation, having no chakra left. Besides that, it only healed him so he wouldn't die, but there's no way in hell he's waking up any time soon. So not only is he dead weight right now, but… I'm at my limit, and the Nibi is not going to help you guys."

Suigetsu blinked, and then pointed down at Shikamaru. "The Nibi won't protect him."

"Not at all," responded Sabaku, nodding in confirmation. It hadn't been a question, but Sabaku had felt obliged to answer the shinobi. After all, he did just tell them that they were going to die; he might as well clear up any grey areas for them.

"Shit," said Neji, and Sabaku nodding, thinking, _Exactly what I had been saying. _Neji crouched down, putting Shikamaru's arm over his shoulder as he supported his weight, picking him up without carrying him bridal-style.

Sabaku had figured that Suigetsu would be the one freaking out, but surprisingly the Kiri nin was suddenly cool, seemingly thoughtful; even. His purple eyes were filled with concentration, and Sabaku could tell that he was thinking through _something. _He just prayed it wasn't something menial, like food or porn or something that meant absolutely nothing when faced with such a death like being erased from existence. He wouldn't put it past him, but he still didn't want to hear it.

"Neji," said Suigetsu, finally collecting his thoughts as he pulled out his empty water bottle, opening its cap and turning his right hand into water slowly, in order for it to drip into the bottle before generating a new hand for himself. He held out the now half-full bottle for Neji to take, the water that had once been his hand sloshing around within it. Neji blinked, his pale eyes finding the bottle. "Drink half of that, and give the rest to Shikamaru."

"He's unconscious."

"So pour it down his throat. I don't care. He needs to get it in him somehow for this to work at all." Neji hesitated, and Suigetsu snapped, "Hyūga, do it, now!" Neji didn't argue after that, taking the bottle and, without thinking about the fact that he was ingesting a part of Suigetsu, drank half of the liquid, trying to ignore the metallic taste that came with it. He opened Shikamaru's mouth forcefully as Suigetsu took the bottle from him, pouring it down Shikamaru's throat quickly. Suigetsu placed the bottle back onto his belt, his hands automatically flying into hand signs. "I've only done this once, and it was with a pet dog my neighbors had. It died, but then again, it only usually works with one person."

"That was in no way reassuring," mumbled Neji.

"Fuck you; at least I've got a back up plan. Do you trust me?"

Neji sighed. "Yeah. I trust you." He closed his eyes and prayed to a higher power that he would live. "Just curious… what happened to the dog?"

"The bitch was flipped inside out. Nice bloody mess."

Neji wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to keep his stomach, but he was quite proud of himself when he did.

* * *

The hideout finally exploded by the time that they were barely a kilometer out, a fact that Sasuke only knew due to the fact that the explosion had knocked him off of his feet, making him fall ten meters until he managed to grab onto a nearby branch, saving both his and Hinata's lives from a death due to falling out of a tree. He felt like all the air was being sucked out of his lungs, and like the air around him was literally on fire. His skin felt too hot for his body, and his ears were pounding from the explosion that had made no sound. _So that's a chakra-made explosion, _he thought, struggling to pull himself back up onto the branch, breathing heavily.

Hinata tightened her grip around his neck, burying her face into the fabric of his shirt. "W-Was that…?" she began to ask, but her throat felt like it was on fire. All the moisture seemed to have been sucked out of her body the moment the explosion went off. _Sabaku… _she thought, closing her tearing eyes. She felt horrible for the type of fate the man had. To have to die twice… Hinata could hardly imagine such a fate. She knew life wasn't fair, but then there was just plain sadistic. _That _was the very definition of sadistic.

Sasuke's hands returned to her legs, and he moved her a little on his back, fixing her so she wouldn't feel awkward. "Yeah. I think that was," he responded, his own voice a hoarse whisper. Hinata loosened her grip again, pulling her face out from his neck, looking forwards. "Do I want to see, Hinata?" he asked, trusting her judgment.

Without hand seals, she activated her Byakugan, looking behind herself. She nearly cried to see a giant crater where greenery had once been, where life had once been. She didn't realize how much damage unchecked chakra could cause until that moment. It was terrifying to see. Deactivating her Byakugan, she slowly shook her head. "No."

Sasuke nodded and looked up, noticing that the light rain had stopped when the chakra had imploded upon itself. To think that chakra could go as far as to influence weather… the rain kick-started again, but heavier than before, the cold rainwater hitting his face hard. He looked down at his sandals, letting the cold rain hit his neck. Suddenly, he liked rain. It felt… cleansing, almost. Like everything bad about the past week or so was being melted away. _Shit, was it only a week? _Sasuke thought with a small smirk, despite his somber emotions. _It felt like months. _

"You know, Sasuke, we can't avoid trouble." Sasuke looked up at the whiskered face of Uzumaki Naruto, who had to run back to get at them, carrying the unconscious Kankurō on his back. "And I don't think Kankurō will do very well if you hold us up. Hell, I don't think he'll do very well without us getting somewhere soon."

Sasuke frowned. "We're in the middle of fucking nowhere," he said, crouching down and gently putting Hinata down before his hands flew into seals and he bit his thumb, slamming it down on the branch, summoning two oversized hawks that objected none as he gently picked Hinata back up, placing her on the back of one of them. He pointed at Naruto. "Get on him. We'll find something better from the sky rather than the ground level."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that's a boy?" Hinata sighed. Of course Naruto would find a moment to ask a question like that at that moment. Really, was it important whether or not the hawk was a boy or a girl at that juncture? She knew Sasuke had a similar, if not exact, thought.

Sasuke glared at him. "Does it fucking matter right now, Naruto? Just get on him." He jumped onto the same one as Hinata, sitting down between its giant wings. Hinata wondered how the branch had space enough for the two giant hawks at the same time, but she didn't have the time to question it as the bird began to flap its wings, quickly getting them into the air. Within moments, she found herself above the treetops, staring down at the green. She swallowed dryly, looking down. Usually, she would try to sit correctly, but as her knee wasn't completely healed—the beast chakra could only do so much—she couldn't bend it, and instead only bent one leg and had the other one sticking out.

She refused to show it right now, but she was worried. Any normal person would be worried; not just for Kankurō's status, but for her own status. Technically speaking, she broke several laws upon her abandonment of the Leaf, not to mention several key ANBU laws. She knew that she would get punished for what she'd done, despite the fact that it had been to protect the Hyūga clan. When it was all said and done, she didn't turn to the village for help; she'd dealt with it herself. One could call what she'd done treasonous. Surely, her ANBU status would be taken away, but she wasn't sure what else would be taken, and that was what was truly terrifying. What if they took away her entire status as a shinobi?

She looked back at the hawk Naruto stood on.

_What if Kankurō doesn't… _She swallowed and looked away, looking forwards. No. She couldn't think that. Kankurō hadn't given up on her, and she was not going to give up on him. She loved him too much to give up on him. _He'll be fine. He's Kankurō. He'll be fine. He'll be okay. He'll be fine. He has to be. There can't be a world without him in it. It's impossible. He has to be fine. He has to be okay. _She bit her lip. _I love him. I love Kankurō. Please let him be okay. Please. He has to be okay. I can't live without him. _

Sasuke looked back at Hinata to see tears dripping down her cheeks heavily. She probably didn't even realize she was crying, which somehow made it all the worse that she was. He looked forwards, whispering to the hawk that he needed to hurry up and find some place. He wasn't sure if he could take it if Hinata kept crying.

**I did say the ending was crap, right? I wasn't joking. But I couldn't see ending it any other way at all. **


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Of Resolution, Part 2

**Not much time. Need to run. So, on, so forth. Will PM thank you's to my reviewers for the last chapter once I get the chance again. But enjoy the chapter! Please leave review! **

**Don't own Naruto, don't sue me. **

**Warning: gets a little dark in the middle. I don't go into details. But ****McKazekage****, I remembered that suggestion you made, and I liked it too much to resist. **

"Young man?"

Shikaru jumped up, managing to knock over the tray of food that a hospital orderly had brought for the still-unconscious Shizuka, much to his own mortification. Blushing and rubbing the back of his neck, he gave the orderly a soft, shy half-smile. If he weren't part Uchiha, the orderly would not be nearly as forgiving as she gave him a small half-smile of her own, blushing lightly.

"Yes, ma'am?" asked Shikaru politely, letting his hands fall naturally back to his sides.

"I know he's your friend, but you can't stay in here; visiting hours are over for the day," said the woman in a kind voice, as if she were offering words of appraisal or wisdom rather than adherence to hospital rules. Despite the fact that the Rain was allowing the Leaf to occupy the village for the time being, that did not mean that Rain rules didn't still apply to them.

Shikaru's smile faltered. "I, um… this is the first free moment I've had to visit. His attending doctor said it would be okay."

She shook her head, still smiling gently. "I'm afraid that you can't visit right now." Her own smile began to falter upon recognizing the face. "You're the boy they brought in with the broken ankle." Her smile completely transformed into a frown. "You're the one who dared to wear the Alliance hitai-ate when you're no better than the Uchiha responsible for this." Shikaru saw the situation leaving the realms of his own control, and he bit his lip, saying nothing. The orderly glared at him, making him feel unwanted and ugly. "You hurt this poor boy already. Come back to finish the job?"

"Ma'am, he's my teammate, and my best friend, too," said Shikaru softly, "I would never…"

"I heard you killed your mother, too," she said, only aiming to hurt Shikaru. "How can you live with yourself, you disgusting reprobate? You murderer? How can you kill your own mother with no remorse? And you're trying to sell me a tale of how you don't harm teammates. It's because of people like you that there was a war like this. Shinobi lost their lives because of people like you."

"Ma'am, I…"

"Get out, you psychopath." Her voice was shaking with fury and disgust, and all he could do was shiver; rooted to the floor. He didn't know how to move, or if he was even still capable of moving. "I said; get out!" She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out of the room, throwing him with more strength than he'd realized she had. He landed on his right side, shoulder crashing into the cement floor. He didn't allow himself to wince in pain. It would do nothing for him, other than to somehow make himself worse in their eyes. "Get out of here! Murderer! People like you should just die!"

"That's more than enough," said a familiar voice as the person helped him to his feet, checking him for injury. Uzumaki Naruto's face was contorted with anger as he looked down at his not-much-younger student, who seemed to be taking the verbal abuse as if he deserved it. Naruto tore his eyes away from the pain-filled face of the preteen in order to glare at the orderly. "You're a nurse, ain't you?! Then why the hell are you harming someone? What the hell is wrong with you?! You don't even _know _him! Who the hell are you to judge him if you don't know him?"

"Do you know him?! He's a –"

"He's a shinobi of the Leaf, he's my student, the nephew of the current leader of the Nara clan, and beyond that; he's the son of the current leader of the Uchiha clan! He has ties that you wish you could have! He's a good kid!" Naruto sneered at her, angry that she would go after Shikaru in such a way.

"Naruto-sensei, its okay…" he whispered, finally finding his voice. He didn't even think for a second that looking the woman in the eyes was okay as he bowed to her politely. "I apologize for inconveniences I've caused you today, miss. I swear I didn't mean to offend anyone."

"Go burn in hell," she hissed at him before turning away, walking towards the group of medical attendants that had gathered around them. Naruto pulled Shikaru out of the crowd, furious that someone would attack and accuse Shikaru of things when they had no idea how exactly he worked. It was exactly the same as how people had approached him, and he was glad it was over; but he sympathized that Shikaru still had the same treatment he'd been getting since his Academy days. It was unjustified and unfair.

Shikaru looked up at Naruto. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for idiocy that you have no control over." Naruto sighed. "It just irritates me when people take stuff out on you when you've done nothing to deserve it." Naruto flicked him a glance. "You do know you have no control over it, right? It's _not _your fault. No way in hell's name is any of what happened to you your fault."

"I… I know," he said in an uncertain voice, looking down at the ground. He gave a soft smile. "They just finished trying me for the day. I have one more trial tomorrow, and then they'll give me the judgment. I was scared, so… I wanted to go see Shizuka. Not to talk, because he's unconscious. I just wanted to sit in the company of my best friend. I didn't mean for it to become a huge issue or anything like this. So, I'm sorry for involving you in on this, sensei."

Naruto swallowed dryly. "You're the one who was being tried today?"

Shikaru nodded. "Yeah. I guess they wanted to get the murderer out of the way." Naruto's eyes widened a fraction, finally realizing how bloodstained his student was. The three of them—himself, Sasuke, and Hinata—they'd all been stuck in the hideout. Shikaru had been forced to become the other person, and in that state he'd been forced to go to Konohagakure. He was the only one out of all of them, besides for maybe Sasuke, responsible for the deaths of any of the Alliance shinobi.

"How many?" asked Naruto finally.

"They tell me sixty-eight. Would've been ninety-one, had some of them not just been seriously injured." Shikaru looked down at his feet. "Sensei, you say it isn't me who did this. But… how else can you explain this hurting me so much?" He bit his bottom lip, fisting his hand. "I had to suppress everything in me not to kill that woman, Naruto. _Everything_. All I could see was her blood. And that was my automatic reaction to telling her she was wrong about me, sensei. It makes me think she's completely right about me. About what I am."

"Well, she's not right, Shikaru," responded Naruto. "You did suppress it, right? Don't you think that it means she's wrong about you?" He put his hand on Shikaru's head. "Look. Even if people give up on you, don't give up on yourself. Giving up on yourself is the worst thing you can do in this world. If you give up, then you're worth about as much as trash. I have no tolerance for anyone who doesn't have any respect for himself. Don't give up on yourself, and you'll find that they'll be people around willing to put their stock in you—like I do. But I can't help you if you can't help yourself."

"Sensei, I… how do I… how do I live with this?" he finally brought himself to ask. He'd always wanted to ask, but he'd never found the guts to. In a way, he knew Naruto was like him. He had a demon he had to live with. If anyone could understand him, then it would be him. "Sensei, I've never asked this, but… I… want help. I want… I want things to get better someday. I want… I want it the pain to go away."

Naruto sighed. "The pain won't go away," he admitted, shaking his head, "But you know what? It just gets more manageable. It hurts less. But if you're going to live with this, you're going to have to face it. You can't grow past it, and become able to live with it; the way you are now." If Jiraiya could see him now, he would be pleased with himself. He'd raised an incredibly able-bodied shinobi. An intelligent (in his own way), confident, and most of all, strong man. Uzumaki Naruto was truly living up to what he wanted to be—the future Hokage of Konohagakure. Shikaru could see it plainly, looking up at the older teenager. "Do you hear me, Shikaru? Do you understand me?"

"Y-Yeah," responded Shikaru, his smile becoming more and more sincere. "I understand. But do I… is it something I have to do by myself?"

Naruto's eyes went so wide that Shikaru had to laugh. "Hell, no!" he yelled, grabbing the preteen by the shoulders and shaking him. "Why the hell would you even think for a second I'd make you go through shit all alone? What kind of teacher would I be? Dattebayo!"

Shikaru laughed more. "Thank you, sensei," he said, his mood fully rejuvenated. For once, he wasn't thinking about what would happen in the future. For once, he wasn't thinking like a person far beyond his age. For once, he was thinking like a thirteen-year-old, and for the first time in about two weeks, he was happy. He was completely and totally happy, just to be in the company of someone who cared about him.

* * *

Hinata has seen many things in her short life; many horrible, many wonderful. Her world has such variety, such a motley of different views and peoples; that if she were young and stupid, she could say she'd seen it all. Of course, the sort of life Hinata led had aged her quickly, almost unnaturally, so she really couldn't be called young and dumb like civilian teenaged girls. She knew it was impossible to see everything. She knew it was impossible to not learn something new every day.

For instance, she didn't know before that moment that it was possible for her to want to make someone suffer like she did Kabuto. The hatred she held in her heart towards that man (though she could hardly still call him a man) was indescribable, and it grew with every passing moment. She wanted to hear him scream for mercy before his life was taken, and she hoped it would be taken slowly, painfully; so he could feel every bit of despair he'd successfully made her feel. Only then could he die.

As much as she wanted to find him and kill him, she also didn't want to leave Kankurō's side. Maybe it was love, maybe it was guilt; but more likely it was a mixture of both. She felt absolutely guilty that Kankurō was in the hospital because he risked his life to save hers, and she loved him so much for caring about her that much. She didn't want to leave his side, either—it was her turn to protect him.

Another thing she didn't know: true love only gets stronger. Painfully so, in fact. The love she held for this boy, this Sand shinobi, was almost overwhelming in its quantity, but she wouldn't give up the feeling for anything in the world. Nothing was more valuable than to feel loved, especially in the shinobi world. When it comes down to it, love is the first and the last possession that a human being has in this world, and it is important to protect that feeling.

Hinata would always treasure this feeling, while clamping onto Kankurō. She decided she couldn't live without him. No, the idea of being without him was too painful to even think about. It was gut-wrenching. She needed him around, with her. She needed his stupid jokes, his whispers of love, his stupid facial paint, his stupid cat's hood; everything that made him Kankurō she needed. She needed him, plain and simple; and there was no way she was ever going to let that just fucking _go. _

Hinata slipped her hand into his, their fingers weaving together. She rubbed his skin with her thumb, looking down lovingly at Kankurō's face, the sound of the heart monitor filling her ears. Her long black-blue hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, keeping it off of her neck. She was dressed in ANBU attire, dressing that way only because Tsunade had requested it. It was more fitting for the trials, she'd told her. Hinata didn't argue with it. She simply did it. She didn't care much about the clothes she was wearing, really. It didn't affect anything.

This marked the fifth consecutive day that Kankurō had been unconscious. She'd been told multiple times not to worry about him—his body was taking care of the healing process in the way it saw best—but that didn't mean anything to her. It wasn't that she didn't understand it, but because she wanted Kankurō to open those dark brown eyes of his and look at her, to give her that cocky half-smirk.

"Hi, Kurō-koi," she whispered softly, her free hand stroking his cheek gently. "It's me. Again." She gave a soft smile. "I bet you're pretty tired of hearing me, right? If you can hear me. I bet right now you're thinking that I need to stop worrying about you. And I'd just say, 'Well, I wouldn't worry about you if I didn't love you' or something like that. And then you'd grin and say something like 'damned straight'. Am I right?" She breathed laughter, still smiling. "Well. I'm going to worry about you, because you're my stupid Kurō-koi."

"That's an odd statement to make, Hinata, about someone you love." Hinata didn't turn, nor did she remove her hands from Kankurō to face the person.

"Well, it's true. He's mine," she responded, brushing her thumb over Kankurō's lips. Sabaku nō Gaara chuckled and walked up besides her, looking down at his unconscious brother. Neither of the two attempted to make any conversation. It wasn't necessary. Silence was something the two of them both liked, and could find comfort within its embrace. Conversation was where things became heavy and terse.

"Well, I can't blame you," sighed Gaara after a few minutes of silence. "He is quite stupid." _After all, smart people don't just make a split-moment decision to cut off their fucking leg and replace it with a puppet leg_, thought Gaara, _although, the chief of surgery here did say that Kankurō did a better job than most surgeons. The physical therapy will be a hell of a lot shorter due to the job he did. _

"Quite stupid," echoed Hinata, smiling gently. "I wonder what my stupid love is thinking about."

"Hamburger steaks and puppet plays," said Gaara, earning a tiny giggle from the Hyūga heiress. "Kankurō is very predictable in that sense. It doesn't take much of a genius to figure out what he dreams about at night." Gaara's jade eyes found her pale ones, and they gave a silent agreement before looking away.

"Do you hate me?" she asked shyly, returning her eyes to Kankurō's face.

"Hmm? No," responded Gaara, shaking his head. "I mean, you did stupid shit, but you did it to protect your family. I find that to be honorable. To be completely honest, if I had been in your position—if Kankurō's and Temari's lives had been endangered like that—I would've done the exact same thing. Family comes far before honor."

Hinata smiled gently once more. "Thank you, Gaara-san."

"Hinata. Just call me Gaar. I really don't mind. And Temari won't mind if you called her Temi. In fact, she'll be ecstatic. That'll make her day for sure." Looking around for anyone else in the room, he flashed a quick smile before his face returned to its usual calm look. Hinata giggled—the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, the master of Sand, was afraid of letting people see him smile. "I hate formalities. It makes me think I'm in another meeting. I have enough of those in my day, thanks."

"But… aren't those nicknames meant for family?" she asked.

He looked at her, a bemused look in his calm face. "What the _fuck_ are you asking me?" he asked in an incredulous voice that had Hinata confused easily. "You're with my big brother. Any woman who can deal with _him_ is a woman I would call my sister. You're definitely family, Hina."

* * *

Different countries have different ways of getting rid of sensitive information. They go to different people, who go through different procedures, who go through different options of the disposal of said sensitive info. In Kirigakure, the information is given to that country's specialized ANBU unit, whose methods were unknown. In Sunagakure, the information is given to the demolition squad, whose methods were to blow things up in the best way possible, leaving little to no evidence.

Konohagakure is the only country who gives their information not to a singular organization, but to a clan. The Aburame clan, to be specific. The reasoning is simplistic, when analyzed: Aburame clansmen were quiet to the extremes, and secretive about their lives. Only a select few people knew what was going on in the Aburame house—in fact, one could count the number of people who knew on one hand. They were by far the most secretive clan in Konohagakure, with information destruction skills like nothing else.

Everything in Konohagakure, after it goes past the cryptologists, goes to the Aburame. They are responsible for the destruction of the original file of Senju Obito. They are responsible for the destruction of the scandal around the first Hokage and the Hyūga. They are responsible for the destruction of the order to Uchiha Itachi for the mass murder of the Uchiha clan. It goes to them because they are the only ones who can destroy evidence without any real traces.

Shino, himself, has never been the one who has had to destroy evidence before. It is due to his youth that this is the case; not because he is incapable. The Aburame are trained from the moment they gain the kikaichū beetles to destroy sensitive information. But none are allowed to utilize the training until they are well into their twenties or even their thirties. The younger Aburame clansmen are usually the ones sent out into the field, and it is harder to defend oneself out in a battle. If an Aburame is captured, the information is at risk. Shino didn't have a real need to be the one to destroy information, either, because he planned to be a field ninja for as long as possible. And, besides, he didn't want to have that information rattling around in his head.

But sometimes, there was some things, some secret things; that he actually did want to know, regardless of how much danger it might put him in. He looked down at his hand, staring at the scroll handed to him by his father not even a half-hour ago. The scroll had been given to Shibi by Tsunade, who had gotten it from Sasuke; who'd gotten it from Shikaru. This scroll, in particular, was a summoning scroll, containing two summons: one for what had been found to be something crucial to the Uchiha clan, as well as something that Shino looked forwards to, very much; to destroying and wiping from existence.

Shino moved quietly, as to avoid finding anybody he knew, specifically Kiba. Yes, he trusted Kiba, and he did want Kiba to know; but he was his best friend first and the last thing Shino wanted to do was bring forth something that may very well hurt him, which Shino knew this would do. No, he couldn't share this with Kiba, and the best way to keep Kiba from knowing was not to share this with anyone. Not a damned soul.

He left the confines of the barriers of the camp, moving quickly to find some place secluded. He managed to find a cave about a kilometer out, and the cave went deep enough for him not to worry about anyone hearing or seeing anything. He went to the far back of the cave, crouching down and placing the scroll onto the ground before he removed his jacket and sunglasses. His father told him that doing this always made an Aburame run hotter than usual, and so he needed to balance the temperature by ditching the usual jacket. The sunglasses were for his sensitive eyes, so he could see every detail like he really should be able to. The sunglasses interfere with him seeing too much at one time—an Aburame's eyes could be related to that of a Hyūga in the Byakugan state. That is their normal status, and it is unbearably overwhelming, causing headaches almost constantly, especially in bright areas—hence, the sunglasses.

Removing the sunglasses helped him see that he had a trail. Sighing, he threw a kunai at the wall, embedding it in the rock. "Come out," he said coldly, not in the mood for playing around.

A female-sounding laugh filled the air. "My, my, you attack pregnant women in your clan?" With a whisper of the word 'release', two shinobi appeared in the cave. Shino knew the both of them too well to even think about being surprised that they'd tailed him.

"Both of you get out," he said dismissively, turning around again and turning his gaze to the scroll. "This isn't something you have clearance to know about or see."

Temari stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. "But, I'm the Kazekage's sister," she said in a fake sad voice.

"And you're not from Konoha. At least he's from Konoha," said Shino, gesturing towards the other shinobi, Sai. "He has more clearance than you do, Temari-sama."

"Does that mean I get to stay?" asked Sai, giving his fake smile.

"No."

The smile fell. "Damn."

"Why do you want to be here, anyways? Do you even know what it is I'm doing? No, I know you don't…" began Shino before Temari held up her hand.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa; slow your horses there, bug boy," she said, smiling. "We have permission, thank you very much. Your Hokage let my Kazekage in on what it is you ventured out into the middle of bum-fuck-nowhere for. He asked me if I wanted to come on his behalf, and I said yes. Sai here was listening in and demanded Tsunade to let him come here. She said yes. We have the papers to prove it, too."

Shino shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I don't think you two fully comprehend what it is that I'm going to be doing."

Temari raised an eyebrow. "What, just because I was raised in a desert automatically means I don't know jack shit about anything? I've done more 'information disposals' than you can count, buggy, and that was before I was ten years old. I know exactly what you're doing, and I want to see it." She pointed at the scroll. "What you're doing will keep my family from falling to pieces again. It's important to me. I don't care what you say; but right now this is all about revenge for trying to destroy what I've worked so hard at repairing."

Shino stared at her for a second before turning his gaze to Sai. "What about you? Why did you want to come?"

Shino expected Sai's face to maintain its sick and unnerving calmness, but surprisingly; it quickly contorted with absolute anger, making the pale artist look positively terrifying. It actually scared Shino, to be completely honest. "I'm no good at showing emotions, especially not to people I truly care about. It bugs people… but the only one it doesn't seem to bug if Ino. Ino accepts who I am, despite the fact that I have real problems finding it within me to connect to her. I don't know how to show her what I feel for her. But she doesn't care, she accepts it; she tolerates it beyond one should. People like her shouldn't be hurt, but she was, and as someone who loves her, I feel like she needs retribution."

Temari stared at Sai. "And I thought you were just some emotionless douche bag," she said with a shiver rolling down her spine, giving the boy a shaky smirk. She turned back to Shino, managing to shake off the rest of her uneasiness. "Okay. Shino. Are you done with the test, or are we going to actually do this today? I'd like to check and see if Shikamaru's come back to the camps again." She smiled softly at the thought of her boyfriend, her hand making its way down to her stomach. She had yet to truly show, but ever since she was told by Shino, she could just feel the life within her.

Shino sighed and nodded, knowing there was no way in hell he was going to get rid of either of them. He opened the scroll wide, revealing the complicated inked seal scribed inside of it. He quickly formed the hand signs for the summoning technique, biting his thumb and pressing against the paper and stepping back as a cloud of smoke exploded from the paper, joining the two shinobi behind him. There was no point in getting too close—he didn't want blood on his shirt.

The smoke disappeared, and a familiar pink-haired girl sat on top of the scroll, emerald eyes wide and filled with confusion and fear as she looked around the cave, trying to figure out where she was. Shino smirked at that. Why would he bring her to a place she would recognize? How could anyone be that stupid to do something like that? She tried to get up, and much to Shino's absolute amusement, she kept falling down; due to the fact that she was bound at the ankles, and also at the knees, as well as the wrists. Either that Shikaru kid didn't have any trust for her or they'd opened the seal beforehand. More than likely it was the latter, due to the fact that he was almost sure that Shikaru had no idea what she had done.

"Stop it; you're embarrassing yourself," said Shino, his eyes hard as he looked down at her. She blinked and looked at him, brow furrowing as she tried to figure out who he was to her. "Though, seeing you flail around like some sort of moron is quite funny, I'll admit; but it's not the satisfaction I want."

"T-Temari-chan…?" she asked, looking at the fan-wielding kunoichi.

Temari growled under her breath. "You don't get to call me that," she hissed venomously, angry that she'd been addressed by her. "You're a traitor to me. You don't get to speak to me."

"B-But… S-Sai, w-why…?" Sai glared at her, making her trail off and forget what she was going to say to him.

"Enough," said Shino, holding up his hand, wanting to get to the point. He straightened his arm and lowered it, pointing straight at the girl's face. "You've made powerful enemies in both Sunagakure and Konohagakure with the crimes you have committed. You have given information to the enemy, as well as specialized weaponry and shinobi. You have acted to instigate a war not only on the parts of Sunagakure and Konohagakure, but of the five great ninja villages; a war where many good men's lives were lost. Usually, when a shinobi commits treason like you have, the memories are simply wiped, and they are forced out of the ninja countries. But you are more dangerous than any of them, and with more deaths to your name. Your case demands one thing as retribution for their lives—death." Her eyes widened, and she began to shake.

"P-Please…" she whispered, terrified.

"Please nothing," responded Shino slowly as his kikai came out through little openings on his upper arms, as well as his neck and behind his ears, flowing down his arms in the hundreds.

"S-Shino…!" she gasped out in realization, eyes widening further. "S-Shino, stop! You're… we're friends! Please! Don't do this!"

"We stopped being friends the moment you harmed them all. You stopped being my friend the moment you changed. You're not the girl you were. You're a shell. An empty, hateful, ugly shell of Haruno Sakura." Shino turned his hard gaze from her to his kikai, watching them make their way towards her. "As you know, Aburame beetles eat ones' chakra," he said, not looking at her. "And otherwise, the beetles are vegetarian in nature. But they will put their natures aside for the sake of their master's bidding, whatever he may wish, as long as they are given sufficient amounts of chakra in return for their services."

Sakura's eyes widened. "W-What a-are you going to d-do…?"

"Exactly what you think I'm doing," responded Shino as the bugs finally reached her, crawling over her legs slowly. She began to squirm, trying to get the bugs off of her; but to no avail—they had a grip on her, and they weren't going to just let go, not when their master wished them to do harm on this girl. The only way they could possibly cause harm would be to eat her chakra straight from the source, and then come back out.

In short? In short, Haruno Sakura was going to be eaten from the inside out by kikaichū.

* * *

He didn't want to admit it, but he was quite getting used to be getting led around by ANBU-level shinobi, his chakra sealed at his wrists to prevent him the use of any ninjutsu. One would say too used to it, perhaps, but honestly; it didn't matter much to him. He smirked to himself. This was not an image his father would want to see, if he were alive. It wasn't befitting of the great Uchiha clan to be led around like a common criminal.

But, when it came down to it, was he really anything more? Was he anything more than some traitorous scum? That was all he seemed to do, anyhow; and all the Uchiha seemed capable of doing. They were a great clan of evil men, of evildoers who hated everything about Konohagakure, a village they helped create. Every single Uchiha, save for possibly two of them, have seemed to betray Konoha in some shape, matter or form.

Sasuke did his best to mask his emotions, looking forwards; onyx eyes hard. He was not going to let these men think him weak, not even for a moment. He had an image to keep up. The Uchiha's image.

"Shouldn't we have cable-tied him?" asked one of the shinobi, acting as if he couldn't even hear them. Or maybe it was because he knew that he could hear him that he said it. Sasuke didn't know, nor did he even care. He kept his eyes forward, not giving them anything like a display of weakness by getting angry. He was in enough trouble as was; he didn't need to then go and add 'kicked ANBU ass without permission' to the list. No, he was going to be the better man. He was better than that.

"Nah, he's weak without ninjutsu," responded another ANBU cockily, making Sasuke want to raise an eyebrow. Seriously? Have they not looked at his file? He was as skilled in taijutsu as Rock Lee, and he was also proficient in genjutsu as well, thanks to the Sharingan.

"Ah, so, then, can we do this?" asked one of the men, not giving Sasuke a moment to think before he attempted to kick Sasuke's feet out from under him. Thankfully, Sasuke's reactivity was beyond par, and he managed to jump high enough in time to avoid getting injured at all. _What the hell_? Sasuke thought, landing nimbly on his feet once more, turning to glare at the offender.

"What're you doing?" he half-growled, irritated that the shinobi would think for a second he could catch him off guard. Who did he think he was escorting? A civilian?

"You should've died, Uchiha," growled another shinobi angrily, not surprising Sasuke in the least. _Ah, here we go, _Sasuke thought with an internal groan, rolling his eyes. "You're one of the worst people alive—you and that fucking orange freak." They didn't realize it, but Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. What the fuck…? "That one shoulda been killed before he became a Genin. What a waste of space. He's some kid playing shinobi, and that dumb bitch Tsunade just passed him on to Jōnin and gave him a squad. He's a fucking monster, and she wants him to teach children? What the hell is she thinking? Dumb bitch is ruining Konoha."

"And what about that little kid? That one that old man Nara took in? What the fuck is this village coming to, if they're letting mass murderers into our village? I wish we could slaughter him. The world would be far better off without him, that's for damned sure. The two of them are fucking scum," spoke another.

"Yeah, yeah!" laughed the leader. "And what about the pale-eyed chick? Heard she's ANBU! Any other ANBU would've been put to death, but they're letting that bitch live. I bet it's because she's heiress to that fucking clan. They're not shinobi, they're aristocrats. They should've all died, just like the fucking Uchiha—"

"You want to stop talking."

All five shinobi turned around, whereas Sasuke kept his hard gaze locked on the dirt ground, his Sharingan tomes spinning in his eyes as his fury mounted. He was already thinking of creative ways to kill each of them with his bare hands. Fuck appearances. These men needed to be _slaughtered. _How dare they scorn the names of shinobi who had committed crimes in order to _protect _the village? What new breed of asshole were they that they were so idiotic and childish in their ideals.

"I don't know what you're talking about, _Mekura_," scoffed an ANBU, "We're not talking about anything."

He was trying to seem intimidating, but it wasn't working. The blind man in question scoffed. "If I had eyes, I would roll them," he said, making all shinobi present shiver, even Sasuke. "I have two perfectly functioning ears. I can hear you scorning the names of four good shinobi. I want you to stop doing so _now_." Sasuke frowned. He knew this voice. In the back of his mind, he knew this voice. Where did he know it from? Where could he possibly know this voice from?

"What'll you do?" asked an ANBU, crossing his arms over his chest. "Like you said, you don't have eyes. If you can't see, then how the hell are you supposed to stop us from doing anything we don't want to do?"

The blind man scoffed. "Wow," he said, amusement in his voice, "Well, you're right. I can't see. But… I can, possibly, get your ranks removed and have your asses shipped to a faraway country for several years for scorning the name of members of great clans, specifically the heir to the Uchiha clan and the heiress of the Hyūga, as well as successfully pissing off the current clan head of the Uchiha by disparaging his only son's name. Now get the fuck away from my cousin before I let him kill all of you. Sasuke, come over here." Sasuke blinked, deactivating his Sharingan as he looked up, staring into the face of… Shisui. Without thinking, he stumbled forwards, eyes wide. Shisui smirked at him, showing all his amusement in his smirk, and clapped his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Good job on not killing those assholes," he congratulated Sasuke.

"H-Hey! Don't speak of ANBU that way!" growled one of them.

Shisui turned around; keeping his hold on Sasuke and making him walk in the opposite direction. "Have a good day now," said Shisui; throwing a smile over his shoulder before he turned his head forwards again, his smile instantly slipping into a frown. "They'll be on their ways to back country villages by the morning."

Sasuke stared at his older cousin. "H-How are…"

"Alive? I never died. Yeah, I lost a lot of blood, but not that much. Itachi never killed me. He got the Mangekyo after the first Uchiha he killed, I figure, but definitely not from me," responded Shisui with a shrug, removing his hand from Sasuke's shoulder and stuffing it into his pockets. "We should move to this country. All this rain makes it so much easier for me to walk around," he said happily, looking up at the sky.

"Why are you so cavalier about this? You haven't seen me in years."

"How else am I supposed to act? Weird and nervous? I've known you since you were a baby, Sasuke; I'm not just going to change how I approach you. _That'd_ be weird."

"B-But… you're supposed to be dead!" exclaimed Sasuke, confused and growing angry. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"Um… I wanted to come here. Actually, the clan wanted to come here. I just said yes." Shisui rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Hmm, how is one supposed to explain shit like this? Never actually figured that out…"

"W-Wait. You said _heir to the Uchiha. _Were you talking about me? And… the clan? You can't mean the Uchiha. The Uchiha are…"

"Not dead," said Shisui, grinning widely as he clapped a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Oh, damn, I kinda forgot how in the dark you are about all this for a second there. Don't worry, though, cousin. I'm going to explain everything for you… and here we are." He stood outside a rather small tent, his chest puffed out in pride. "Wait here for a second. I'm going to go in and get them. You'll be happy when you see what I have in here for you, trust me."

"Shisui—what—?"

"Shh, Sasuke," said Shisui, placing a finger on Sasuke's lips. Sasuke shut up, not because Shisui wanted him to, but because he was almost completely sure that this was the first time he'd ever seen a large, genuine smile on Shisui's face. Whatever he had in there was important to him, it seemed, so Sasuke shut up and allowed him to slip into the tent without arguing, waiting out in the rain patiently.

His patience was well rewarded.

A slender feminine hand reopened the flap to the tent, followed by long black hair so shiny that Sasuke immediately knew who it was. Large black eyes found his, and Sasuke felt like his breath was robbed from his chest. "S-Sasuke…?" the woman asked, giving him a tentative smile. "Do you… do you remember me?" Sasuke didn't answer, instead choosing to move to the woman in two large steps, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her into him, wrapping his arms as tightly as could around her body, his face finding comfort against her long neck. He didn't hold back his rush of emotions as he began to sob, crying heavily for the first time since he learned of the truth about Itachi.

"Okaasan," he sobbed as his mother ran her long fingers through his hair, his tears soaking through the fabric of her heavy sweater with ease. Mikoto gave a wobbly smile before she, herself, broke down in heavy tears, as emotional as her son, whom she had not seen in eight years. She thought he might stop loving her, but she seemed to be wrong—it seemed like Sasuke had never thought about not loving her one day. It just showed. It made her too happy for words.

Shisui laughed, clapping his hands together happily. "You're forgetting someone, Mikoto-Obachan," he said, smiling a smile too wide for his face.

Mikoto blinked and wiped her eyes, pulling herself away from Sasuke to smile wobbly at her youngest son, grabbing his hand and wordlessly pulling him into the tent, not giving him a chance to refuse. Not that he would've, anyways; based on the fact that he was still in semi-shock from seeing his mother again. Besides, what would he refuse—seeing another long-lost family member? What new brand of moron would he have to be—

"Sasuke."

Sasuke blinked and stilled, his eyes quickly adjusting to the low light of the tent. He stared, his eyes looking over every part of the man in front of him—overlong black bangs, hard-to-read, yet somehow gentle black eyes with thick eyelashes surrounding them, and pronounced tear-troughs. Sasuke gulped, taking a step forwards carefully, closer to the man.

Mikoto let him go, putting a hand over her mouth as her two sons embraced each other, their arms tight around each other.

* * *

Kakashi was definitely unsurprised to find Genma in Shizuka's hospital room, despite the fact that visiting hours were supposed to be over. He had no doubts that Genma used his powerful 'powers of persuasion' to convince the nurse attending to the young shinobi that it was perfectly alright to allow him to sit in the room. Kakashi slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. Genma flicked a glance up at him and nodded at him. "Yo."

"Yo." Kakashi took the seat next to Genma wordlessly, pulling out his beat-up copy of Icha-Icha, his eyes finding the familiar words without a problem.

"What do you want, Kakashi?" sighed Genma after a few moments of complete and utter silence, "I'm not in the mood for games today."

"I have no games today. Gai's not here," said Kakashi without a thought before he frowned behind his mask. "Alright. That might've very well come out in a way that might be misconstrued…"

"Kakashi. Out with it. _What do you want_." It was no longer a question, but instead a demand.

Kakashi's gray eye found his dark brown ones. "Tsunade wants to know if you want to put the sword somewhere, where he can't use it," he said, cutting the chase.

Genma began to shake his head. "No. It's from his brother. Hayate wanted him to have it."

"Yes, Hayate left it to him, but Shizuka and Hayate are two completely different individuals. You know, as well as I do, is that the oldest son is trained especially how to handle that sword in the Gekkō family; and that Hayate had an easier time with the training due to that major chakra imbalance he had. Shizuka has neither advantage." Kakashi sighed. "Gaara swears his eyes turned orange on the battlefield. If you were as close with Hayate as you seemed, then you know for sure what that means."

Genma blinked. "Fuck." He looked at the kid in the bed and sighed shakily. "Yeah. I know what that means. That sword is… it's the fucking devil incarnate, I know. I know that Shizuka lacks the training. But he needs that sword now. You know that, too. The damn thing healed him already. Separating him from it will just make everything worse at this point. If you've read as much of the Gekkō family's files as much as it seems, then you'll know for sure what that means."

"Yeah. I know," said Kakashi, leaning back in the chair. "He needs the training. Tsunade's thinking about sending him to Kirigakure." Genma blinked and stared at him. "The Gekkō family's roots can be traced back to the original creation of the Seven Swords of the Mist. The same smith who crafted those blades created that one, for Chrissakes. The training that Hayate went through is similar, more or less, to that of Kirigakure's training for their swordsmen. It only makes sense."

"That sword was given to the Gekkō family due to the fact that Kiri didn't know how to handle it, and the Gekkō's could manage to control it due their chakra levels," responded Genma.

Kakashi shrugged. "True, but they'll know a damned sight better than we do. Konoha isn't known for its swordsmen. Kiri is."

"He won't survive a day there," said Genma, "He's, for all intents and purposes, a deflected Mist nin in their eyes, as a Gekkō. He doesn't even fit in back in Konoha. That chakra of his is too distinctive for the Gekkō family. Though people don't realize it, they hate him because of that chakra. They fear him. The Mist will try to kill him. Pick somewhere else."

"It's not my decision," said Kakashi, "I'm just telling you what Tsunade was thinking. But, be aware, it's not your decision, either. When it comes down to it, Shizuka is without a family name. He may be a Gekkō by blood, but on his identification he has no family, no clan, and no connections. And since he's a minor; that means all decisions go to Tsunade, in the end. She just wanted your opinion."

Genma sighed again and looked at Shizuka's sleeping face. "It's sad, that Hayate never got to explain anything to him about any of this, and he's instead getting explanations from people who'll always be thinking 'in theory' or 'because from what Hayate's file said'. He deserves more than that type of bullshit. He needs someone who has a clue of what he might be going through."

* * *

"Fuck, yes."

"What?"

"I set off a trap."

Usually, in the shinobi world, one is not supposed to be happy about the fact that they have managed to set off a rigged trap. One is supposed to be sneaking, unseen and unheard; and definitely untraceable. Of course, usually shinobi haven't been walking around for five days, barely getting any sleep, looking around desperately for some sort of civilization. Usually, shinobi haven't been lost due to the fact that they used a testy jutsu that ended up leaving them all the way in Otogakure, which was nothing more than rubble, really.

Their setting off of a trap was like a godsend.

"Is it Konoha-issue?" asked the white-haired male excitedly, smiling widely and rushing forwards, almost forgetting the weight on his back.

The pale-eyed male crouched down, checking the trip wire, tugging on it intentionally before he grinned. "Fuck, yes," he repeated. "I even know who made this trap." He stood up, happy beyond belief. Both of them grinned like idiots at each other, despite the rustling of the leaves above their heads, indicating the movement of shinobi over their heads, coming to their position. "We're gonna get Shikamaru help now."

"Fuck, we're gonna get to _sleep _now! I just wanna collapse right now!"

They were an odd sight, the two of them, to the descending shinobi. By their wild, unkempt appearance, they thought for a fragment of a second that they were just wild men, so far detached from civilization that they just lost all semblances to humanity. However, this was proven incorrect when one of the shinobi yelped out in happiness, running towards one of the men and jumping into his outstretched arms.

"Neji, Neji, Neji!" cried Tenten, placing her hands on her fiancée's cheeks, kissing his lips between each cry of his name. He held her tight around her waist, not speaking as he kissed her back, just as excited to see her as he was her. "I thought I lost you! Fuck, Neji! Neji!"

"Tenten," said Neji finally with a smirk, "I'm afraid you won't lost me like that. It'll take a lot more."

"It damned well better," she grumbled, making him chuckle and tighten his grip.

"I promise, babe," said Neji, "I promise."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Of Resolutions, Part 3

**Oh my god. This chapter :3 It was crap, but I liked it anyways. Actually, liking it is an understatement. I loved writing this chapter. This was the best chapter. I hope you guys like it! The next chapter will be up very soon, much to my relief! :) **

**Thank you ****donalgraeme****, for your review! Glad you like it! And to ****McKazekage**** and ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: thank you again! Haha. :D**

**Here is the chapter! Enjoy!**

Hinata relaxed the moment that she was allowed into her tent, which she shared with Kiba and Shino (of course). She laid down on the bed, allowing her muscles to untense as she placed her face on the pillow. She was tired, and she was also hungry and her body was tensed with stress from the last few hours' events. She was the last to be put on trial for the groups' collective acts, and her trial had taken six hours, during which she was not allowed to sit, or to take a break to eat. She knew it was more than slightly unfair, taking into consideration the fact that the five Kages had all been fed appropriately, and they were sitting as well. She also knew that it was supposedly to ease the process of the trial [interrogation] on their parts, by leaving her hungry and tired. Theoretically, one might crack and give better, more honest answers should they desperately need food or rest.

As an ANBU, however, Hinata knew that their theory wouldn't exactly work on her. She'd been trained to go without rest for up to ninety six hours straight, which was actually on the lower side for an ANBU operative. Also, in ANBU, she'd been trained to go without real food for weeks on end, if it be necessary. While she still felt the effects of fatigue and hunger, it wasn't unbearable.

So their theory hadn't been why she told the complete truth, as she saw it. She told the truth because, really; what was there to hide? Lying would only make any punishment—and she would be punished, she knew it—worse than it probably already was. Their stories had to coincide, all of them, and as far as she knew, the three males had all sworn that they told nothing but the truth. They didn't have anything to hide. They also weren't at the position to hide anything, but that was neither here nor there.

"Here," said Kiba, opening the flap of the tent and slipping inside, placing a hand on the back of Hinata's head. Groaning, Hinata sat up, only to be immediately perked when she found the bowl of zenzai under her nose. Squealing with happiness, she took the bowl from him, taking the plastic spoon out of his hands and slurping down some of the soup. Kiba chuckled. "Yeah. I figured you might be hungry."

"Oh, bless you," she sighed happily, her lips forming a large, goofy smile.

"It isn't the best, but it's something. I saw someone leading you down the road when I was buying food from a vendor. Luckily, the guy next to him had soups, so I bought it for you," said Kiba as he relaxed into his own cot, stretching his legs out as he opened a paper bag, containing strips of jerky. He automatically moved to feed it to Akamaru, who wasn't actually there. Awkwardly, Kiba retracted his offer, taking a bite of the strip of meat with a frown on his face. Hinata smiled sympathetically at him. "It's weird for him not to be here."

"I know," she replied, taking another sip of her red bean soup. Akamaru had been taken back to Konoha with Hana, due to the fact that the Rain country was insufficient to take care of a nin-dog. Kiba had volunteered to stay in the Rain and act as a representative for the Inuzuka clan should it be necessary. She watched her friend carefully, noting how lonely he looked due to Akamaru's absence. Akamaru and Kiba's bond went far beyond friendship. They were basically attached at the hip.

"So what're we doing today?" asked Kiba, his features lighting up.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at Kiba's forwardness, but remembering his loneliness she simply shrugged it off. "I was going to rest up for a bit and then I was going to go see Kankurō in the hospital," she replied, taking another sip of soup. Kiba's face fell a little, and she immediately backtracked. "I mean, we can always go train. He's probably really tired of hearing my voice by now, and maybe if I take a break he'll wake up…"

"Don't be ridiculous," sputtered Kiba, eyes wide. "Go see Kankurō, Hinata, I know you want to."

"But… you don't," she responded.

"Who cares what I want? Your boyfriend's in the hospital. When you were in the hospital, he watched you until you woke up. I know the only place you want to be is by his side." Kiba smiled. "I'll go with you, even. We'll both go to the hospital today."

"You complained the bleach in the hospital was hurting your nose," said Hinata slowly.

Kiba shrugged. "So I'll pinch my nose. Eat up, Hinata. Do you wanna sleep a little before?"

She shook her head, deciding to believe Kiba's story. "No. I think I'll be good enough like this." Kiba nodded and stood up again, holding tightly onto his bag of jerky.

"I'll wait outside for you, then," he said, smiling softly as he opened the flap of the tent, walking back out into the rain. He looked up at the sky, his dark eyes full of loneliness. Everyone seemed to have someone. Who did he have? Well, he had Akamaru. But Akamaru wasn't a human companion. He wanted someone to spend his life with, someone that wouldn't run away at the sight of Akamaru. He didn't have someone that accepted for everything he was, not like Hinata had in Kankurō. It was the only reason why he didn't want to go to the hospital with her—he didn't want to see that look that Hinata was giving Kankurō, that look he would never feel himself.

* * *

People are all different from each other. People react to certain situations and actions differently than someone else might, and likewise they release their stresses in a different way. For instance, to a situation like Shikaru's, an average man who hasn't seen the things he has might break down sobbing. But in Shikaru's case, he was built of tougher things. Though he was still sensitive to people's feelings, and wanted more to please them than to upset them, he wasn't just going to cry for absolutely nothing than the treatment he got during his regular life. So how did he handle stress?

He trained harder. He wanted to better himself, his abilities, so he could protect people better, to make it harder for the other personality to take control. He worked on making himself sharper so it would make the abuse hurt less.

He jumped up from the giant rock, twisting and turning as he threw kunai at the targets he had set up in the area, brow furrowed with concentration as he moved. As he reached the highest point of his arch, he turned once more, throwing the last kunai in his hand with as much power as he could get behind his throw. He landed on his hands and feet, his breath coming in puffs of air visible in the slightly cold air. He wiped off his face as he checked the kunai's positioning. He cursed loudly—he missed one target. If that was a live shinobi, he'd be dead. Pulling a shuriken out of the thigh holster, he chucked it at the target angrily, hitting it dead center.

"Good job," spoke a familiar voice that stopped Shikaru's blood pumping in his veins. _God fucking dammit, _he thought, deactivating as he walked over to the targets, pulling his weapons out of the boards.

"Why're you here?" he asked, not turning around.

"My dad's on the council."

"I know that. But why are _you _here?" he repeated, frowning as he pulled out the last kunai. Now he had no reason to not be facing her.

"He's currently mad at me. I'm not trusted on my own. This is his version of grounding me, by bringing me along with him to the base in order to keep a, quote, 'extremely watchful eye on his troublesome daughter'." She sounded almost proud of herself, and he almost chuckled to himself before he managed to catch himself. Now was _not_ a time for being amused by her.

"I bet you sneaked off," he replied, climbing to the top of the rock again. "Your dad will kill you when he finds you."

"I guess," she replied flippantly, as if he had said that the sky was blue. "I was gonna go see Shizuka, but apparently the nurses have decreed that no Konoha shinobi can go to see him today. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?"

"Does it matter if I did?" he grumbled, wiping the sweat out of his eyes. "You should go back to your tent."

"I heard you and your dad reconnected," she said, completely ignoring his suggestion. "I met him, too. He seemed pretty nice. You've got his smile."

"I said, you should go back to your tent," he repeated, his voice a whisper.

"Today seems like a good day for sparring, doesn't it?" she said, further ignoring him. His hand tightened into a fist. She was purposely ignoring him. He knew she just wanted a reaction out of him. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? "Yeah. A good spar would be nice, wouldn't it? I need the exercise. I barely saw any action during the war. The only action I saw was when I fought the other guy."

"You should go away," he tried, almost pleading.

"I was kinda scared of him," she continued in an airy voice. "I mean, who wouldn't? He's a murderer." Shikaru stopped moving, barely able to breathe. "But I saw something in him, something that made me stop fearing him, stop hating him. He had the slightest bit of what I thought to be kindness in him. Mercy, even. Because he far outclassed me, yet, he didn't want to hurt me. He left me alone, even when I was wincing in pain."

"He's a monster," he whispered hoarsely.

"He's _human_," she answered, landing beside him on the rock. "He's a much better person than you, obviously."

His eyes widened, and he had to resist the urge to turn around. "What makes you say that?"

"He wouldn't have tried to ignore me," she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Despite the fact that he hurt my best friend—not you, Shikaru; him. It was _his_ fault that our best friend nearly died. It was _his_ fault that so many were lost in Konoha. Hell, one could even go as so far as to say that it was your mother's fault for all this, but it's definitely not yours. Therefore, you shouldn't blame yourself for the harm brought upon me, or to Shizuka. We don't blame you."

"Doesn't change anything," said Shikaru, finally turning around to face her. He was surprised to see large tears dripping down her cheeks, and her bottom lip chewed up from all the biting and nervous picking she must've done. "Nabi," he whispered, placing a hand on her cheek. "Why do you and Naruto-sensei get so emotional when it isn't necessary?"

She gave a dry laugh and rubbed her eyes. "It's rain water."

"Bull_shit_. I know real tears," he said, dropping his kunai and bringing both his hands to her cheeks. "You're crying over something needless. Why are you crying at all?"

"Didn't you hear me? I'm annoyed," she grumbled, looking down at her sandals. "You're trying not to talk to me, not to show any interest in me. Last time I saw you, you pushed me away as hard as you could with the insistence that all you'd do is hurt me. That you love me too much to see me get hurt. But… it hurts right now." She held her hand over her chest. "I can't explain it, but this feeling you've forced upon me, this feeling of absolutely unbearable _loneliness_, this…_ anger _that I've done something wrong, that you hate me, or fear me, or simply just don't want to talk to me. It makes me feel like I've done things wrong. It just hurts, worse than anything else and the worst part about it is that I don't know why it's happening, or why I can't fix it!" She closed her eyes, her tears increasing as she began to lose control over her emotions, something Shikaru rarely saw from her. Hanabi was always good with her emotions, but right now, she was falling apart right in front of him, and it made him feel sick to his stomach to see that he was the cause of that. "I can't even get you to tell me _why_! You're my friend, and my teammate, and I'd trust you with my life—"

"You shouldn't!" he exploded, eyes wide. "Hanabi, you watched my hand go through Shizuka's body! _My_ hand! I can feel the warmth of his insides still on my skin! It makes me sick to my stomach to know that it was me who did it! My body did it! I can see it, in my head, every moment I dare to close my eyes and. I can barely handle knowing I did that! What if I lost it and I allowed him to get control right now, and the same thing happened to you?! If I had to feel that…" He swallowed. "I don't want to feel that way."

"I'm a kunoichi! I can handle it!" responded Hanabi, frustrated.

"I'm human," he responded, "And I _can't_ handle it, okay? I can't handle the pain of chancing losing you to my own hand." Moving slowly, he carefully touched her again, his thumbs pressing into her skin. Hanabi's pale lilac eyes looked up at him through the bleariness of her tears. "I'm sorry, Hanabi. Even trying to protect you, I ended up hurting you anyways. I don't mean to."

"Why do you do this?" she asked, brows furrowing. "Why're you being so confusing with me? We're rivals, Shikaru! Our relationship shouldn't be so complicated."

Shikaru smirked. "Because you're not just some sort of rival to me, Hanabi." He brought his hand to her smaller shoulder, and taking a deep breath, he took a step closer to her. Her brow furrowed further, confusion evident. "I… You're a lot more than _just_ my rival, or some friend of mine. It's not good that you are, and I was hoping if I stopped you from reciprocating the feeling, I might save you from ever possibly feeling any pain because of me."

"What feeling?" she asked, her tears beginning to stop.

He smirked gently, somehow reassuring her despite the look in his eye and the tumultuous, indescribable feeling in her stomach. "You're too young too understand, Nabi, as much as I want you to."

"I'm only two years younger than you."

"I know. And those two years make a huge difference."

"I don't understand."

"I know." He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her body. "I'm just… there's something not right with me."

"I don't understand," she whispered again.

"I know."

"So explain it to me."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"You're too young." He was growing frustrated. How could he possibly vocalize his feelings for her when she was awake? She was _ten, _for Chrissakes, _ten. _He had just turned thirteen in the past few weeks. It was beyond inappropriate to have feelings like this for such a young girl. Hanabi was supposed to be like his younger sister, not a younger girl he wanted to be with. It was wrong to admit it now. He would feel like he was trapping her into something.

"I'm _ten, _dammit!" she screeched at him, frustrated herself. "I can understand if you tell me!"

"No, you can't, Hanabi!" he snapped at her, his eyes flashing with anger and something else unreadable.

"What's so complex that I won't understand it, Shikaru? _Tell me!_"

"Fine, you wanna know so badly, Hanabi? Here it is!" He raised his hands back to her cheeks and held her face as he slammed her lips down upon hers, stealing her first kiss in a harsh, demanding fashion. Her eyes widened in surprise, looking at the blurry, too-close face of her teammate, her rival. Shikaru didn't notice, nor did he care. He was lost in the feeling of her lips against his, the warmth of her on his lips. He knew, in the back of his mind, he should feel guilty for stealing her first kiss from her in such a way, out of anger and frustration rather than romance and care, but he didn't care at that juncture. He gave her a final bruising kiss and backed away, breathing heavily, his opening his eyes to see her shocked, wide pale lilac eyes staring back at him, understanding filling her surprised features, her lips turning purple from the force of his kisses. "Shit," he groaned, biting his bottom lip. He'd hurt her. He knew he'd hurt her—exactly what he didn't want. "Dammit, Hanabi."

"Shikaru," she whispered, raising a hand to her lips as Shikaru jumped from the rock, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Why can't you leave things alone?" he asked, his face burning red with embarrassment and anguish. "You made me do exactly what I didn't want to do. Shit." He flicked a glance back at her. "I—I can't talk to you again, Hanabi. I can't see you. I don't deserve someone like you. You're too perfect, and you're too young. I'm sorry for the kiss. You must've been saving it for someone who truly deserved it, and I just stole it from you. I'm sorry." He turned back around, running as fast as he could, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the shocked girl.

Hanabi watched his back, not really hearing his words, and it didn't snap into her mind what he was saying until he left. She fell to her knees, staring down at her hands. Why was he apologizing for stealing her first kiss? Her first romantic experience, her first glance into the world of loving? Why did he think that it was a subject to apologize to her for?

It was his kiss to take, anyways.

"But I liked the kiss," she whispered to the empty clearing, licking her chapped, sore lips that tingled so delightfully whenever her tongue glazed over them. They tasted like him. "I liked it because it was your kiss."

* * *

_"Kankurō, sweetheart, come here." The young boy in question swallowed dryly, looking up at his uncle for permission. Yashamaru chuckled and knelt down, placing a hand on the two-year-old's head, gently pushing him forwards. Gulping, he walked carefully over to his mother, staring up in awe at the swelling of her stomach. He wanted to poke her, but knew better than that. "Why are you being so cautious near me, sweetheart? It's only me." _

_"Otousan said you could burst at the sound of a pin drop," he whispered, trying not to wake the baby sleeping in her belly, "Whatever that means." _

_His mother rolled her purple eyes. "Your father is ridiculous sometimes. Come up here, Kankurō. Sit on Okaasan's lap." _

_"But—" Kankurō started to fight, but he found himself being picked up by his uncle and placed none too delicately onto his mother's lap. She gasped out in surprise, leading Kankurō to immediately think that something was wrong. "Okaasan!" he cried, turning around and wrapping his arms around his mother's neck. "I'm sorry!" _

_"You were doing what you were told; think nothing of it. Sometimes I swear you're so much like your father. It's annoying sometimes, but it's quite cute." She pinched his cheek, and he giggled, his worry taken away by the simple gesture. "God, if you treat me like I'm fragile, how are you going to treat your own wife someday when she's in a condition like my own?" _

_Kankurō smiled. "I'll give her everything she wants!" _

_His mother giggled. "An impossible idea. You'd have to get a woman who wants close to nothing at all times, and even then she'll have demands."_

_"She'll say, 'Go fetch me this, go fetch me that' at odd hours of the night," said Yashamaru, lightly teasing his older sister. Kankurō's mother stuck her tongue out at him, in a light mood. "Maybe it's best if you didn't go with women at all, Kanky…" _

_His mother smiled wider. "You're acting as if being gay is some sort of thing you can recruit for, Yasha."_

_"Gay?" asked Kankurō, brow furrowing. _

_"Don't worry about it," waved off his mother, turning her attentions back to her young son. "I don't care about who you marry, as long as you have an adorable baby for me to hold and adore."_

_Yashamaru whistled. "Neechan. A bit much to place on the shoulders of a two-year-old, isn't it?" _

_"Oh, stop," said Karura, waving off her little brother. "It only makes sense." _

_Kankurō stared at his mother, waiting patiently for his opportunity to speak. When he was young, he didn't mind waiting for information to come to him. It was nothing like the I-need-information-now attitude that he currently holds. When she turned her purple eyes back to him, he grinned widely, his baby teeth tiny, even for his small mouth. "When I have a wife who's like you, if I can't give her everything she wants, I'll try to give her the best I can. I don't think she'll mind."_

_"And why not?"_

_He shrugged. "Because we'll be in love!" _

"Nurse, I think he's waking up."

_Whoa. Whoa. Lots of noise, _Kankurō thought, furrowing his eyebrow. Where the hell was he that there was so much noise? It was really grating on his eardrums right now, as well as his nerves. It was just making him all nervous, for some reason. _What the hell's going on?_

"Nurse, NURSE! Hey! Would you come here, make sure I'm not just going on intuition and—hey! Miss!"

"Don't ignore her!" yelled a deeper, more masculine voice. "She's worried about him!" _Worried about who? Who's worried? Who's there? _Kankurō's normal thought processes were all thrown out of whack, due to the fact he'd spent the better part of two weeks in a comatose state. He had no idea where he was, or what had happened, or who was with him. His mind was running on a sluggish speed, and all he could remember as of right now was spending time with Hinata, and then climbing out her bedroom window.

"Ma'am, please!" His brow furrowed deeper. That _sounded _like Hinata. _Hinata's here? And so are nurses? What happened? Where am I? _His eyelids felt incredibly heavy. It hurt to open them, even just a crack. The light hurt more, though, and so he closed his eyes again and turned onto his stomach, only to dislodge some sort of taped wire from his arm and sent the machine into an erratic frenzy. Groaning, he pulled the rough pillow over his head. _WHAT THE FUCK? _Kankurō screamed in his head, confused.

"Kankurō! Stop moving!" gasped out a Hinata-like voice, grabbing at his arms. Kankurō instantly relaxed—it _felt_ like her. "Turn back over. It's okay, love." Too groggy to think for himself, he adhered to her wishes, turning over onto his back once more, laying down due to the fact that all of his muscles hurt like hell. "Can you open your eyes, Kankurō?"

"Light hurts," he mumbled, and received sighs of—relief?—in return.

"I know, Kurō-koi, but can you do it for me, please?" she begged. Sighing, he opened his eyes slowly, his pupils feeling as if they were on fire due to the amount of light in the room. It was almost blinding, after two weeks of darkness and no usage of his sense of sight. It took a minute for the room to stop spinning around and for him to concentrate on one thing. Familiar lavender eyes looked down at him, her lips turned upwards into a light smile. He smiled back—that was probably the one muscular system that didn't hurt at that moment.

"I'm sleepy," he mumbled.

"Can you just say your name?"

_My name? _Did he even know his name right now? "I… S-Sabaku nō… Kank… Kankurō."

Hinata sighed in relief, and then tensed again. "Do you know my name?" she asked, timidly.

"Y-You're my… H-Hina-chan," he responded, yawning and not noticing her look of utter and complete relief, accompanied by tears she probably didn't even realize she had been holding back. "I'm really… sleepy. Can I go to sleep?"

Hinata wiped her eyes and nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Okay. Okay. Go to sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake up."

_Where the hell else would you be? _Kankurō thought, but didn't have the guts to ask. "O-Okay, Hina-chan. I… I love… l-love you…" His eyelids slid slowly shut, and his breathing evened out as his mind relaxed, slipping into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Damn that Hanabi! _Shikaru thought, his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his mouth screwed into a terse frown. People who dared to look at him were terrified by the look he was giving. He wasn't doing it on purpose. He was really just _pissed_. He didn't want Hanabi to find out about his sick adoration for her, not in _that_ way. When he'd confessed that time in the hospital, he'd done it because she was asleep, and couldn't hear him. There was no chance of him getting hurt from her rebuff, whereas with this—he momentary loss of all self-control that led to him giving her his first kiss, and taking hers in the process—just seeing the look on her face afterwards made his heart ache. _She pushed me to it! Dammit! I didn't want her to know about it—any of it! _

Shikaru glared down at the ground as he walked, realizing that he was giving many people dirty looks. He really didn't mean it, but dammit, he also really hadn't wanted to tell Hanabi… Shikaru stopped thinking upon bumping into someone head-first, making him stumble back a few steps, disorientated and slightly confused as to what had happened. "I'm sor—oh, Kakashi-sempai," he said, looking up and blushing, automatically falling into a deep bow. "My apologies."

"Stand up. You look like you're going to hurt yourself," said Kakashi with a low chuckle under his tired-sounding words. Shikaru adhered to what he said, mostly because he hated bowing down to anyone rather than actual respect, though he had much respect for Kakashi as a shinobi. Shikaru frowned, noticing that it didn't just sound like he was tired, but he actually looked physically exhausted and was about to drop dead right in front of him.

"Are you okay, Kakashi?" asked Shikaru, taking a step towards the silver-haired shinobi.

Kakashi's dark grey eye widened a fraction before it went back into its usual shape. "Yeah. I'm fine, Shikaru. Have a good day, alright, kid?" He walked past Shikaru, patting him gently on the back. Shikaru stared at him, mouth gaping slightly as he tried to read underneath Kakashi's words. It was only too obvious to see that Kakashi was _not _alright. The question was… what was it?

Well, wasn't it obvious as well?

"Is it Obito, Kakashi?" asked Shikaru, only looking over his shoulder at the older man, not attempting to turn around completely. Kakashi stopped moving for a fraction of a second, enough for Shikaru to be able to tell that it was, in fact, the issue of Obito that was bothering the man.

"Don't worry about it," said Kakashi after some amount of hesitation, not turning his head.

"I can help," said Shikaru in a small whisper that he knew Kakashi could full well hear.

"I doubt it. He's a loose cannon. Nothing can get through to him. We have to keep him fully restrained at all times—more so during the times we feed him, if he lets us feed him. It's sucking the life out of sealers to keep his chakra restrained like they have to. It's been a little easier on us since having Neji back in the camps, but not enough to make it better. The Kages want to publicly execute him," Kakashi finished with a whisper, his throat dry. Shikaru's own throat went dry at the thought of someone—family—being publicly executed. Even if he wasn't close, at all, with his uncle, it didn't mean he just was willing to let him be executed without fighting it.

"Executed where?"

"The village with the highest casualty rate. Konohagakure," said Kakashi, pushing the hair that was sticking to the back of his neck due to rainwater off of his skin. He was pissed with himself, angry he couldn't have done something—anything—to keep any of this from happening. Just where had he gone wrong? No, he knew the answer to that. It went wrong when he didn't immediately agree with Obito to go get Rin. This was all his fault, from one stupid little mistake like that. His eyes widened. Oh, shit. He was so busy pitying himself, and Obito, that he'd forgotten completely about Rin. She didn't know about the fact that Obito had survived. When he told Rin (and he knew that he would tell her, he didn't know how to keep a secret from her anymore) she would be so _crushed. _It would be as if she had attended his funeral all over again.

The sound of a splash rang in the back of his mind, but it didn't click in his head until Shikaru grabbed him by his flak jacket, tugging hard on him and forcing him to bend until they were basically eye level with one another. Kakashi half-expected Shikaru's eyes to be filled with anger, primarily at him, but much to his surprise they were filled with sorrow, and pure fear. Fear of what, Kakashi didn't know. "Listen to me, Kakashi," whispered Shikaru in an uncharacteristically shaky voice, "_I can help. _I don't want him to die. I _want_ to help him. I _can_ help him. I know I can. But I can't help him unless you let me, and unless you help me help him. Do you understand me?" Shikaru's dark eyes gazed intently into his own, filled with earnest and a slight amount of fear. "_Please, _Kakashi. _Please_. Let me _help, please_."

Kakashi sighed, standing upright as Shikaru let go of his jacket. Was he really doing this? Was he really about to do this? "You know, kid, this is a Kage-level verdict. He's under their imprisonment—I'm just his keeper. Therefore, anything that happens with him is something that the Kages have to know about, and I doubt the Tsuchikage will be happy when he finds out that someone can stop Obito from getting killed. Anything done to tamper with the verdict will more than likely result in both of us losing our rights to be shinobi, and considering your position it'll make you look even worse. Do you understand that, Shikaru?"

Shikaru swallowed dryly, his brow furrowing slightly. _The moment of truth, _Kakashi thought. Would he back out, or stay in? Shikaru did want to be accepted, and he knew that going against the Kages was not the way to be accepted, especially when the Tsuchikage hated him so much. It was a question of morality versus acceptability. Shikaru looked down at the puddle at his feet, staring at his own reflection for a brief second before he fisted his hands, looking up at Kakashi with a new-found fire burning in his eyes. It was all the answer Kakashi needed, really.

"Fine, then. What do you got for me, Shikaru?" he asked, turning on his heel with the young shinobi in tow. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he was determined to help Shikaru, should whatever happens get him into trouble. He would help him, save him, from whatever. If they were successful, and Shikaru was put in trouble, he would throw himself under the bus. There was no way he was going to let a kid like this take the fall for being a good human being.

* * *

"And that should be it," sighed Tsunade happily, dropping the official scroll down onto the table with a somehow satisfying _thud_ and picking up her bottle of sake, popping it open in celebration.

"Tsunade. That was one scroll," deadpanned Gaara, looking up from his own set of scrolls to stare at his fellow Hokage. Mei chuckled to herself, dipping her pen into more ink in order to finish the current scroll she was on. Tsunade glared at him, raising the mouth of the sake to her lips and taking a sip whilst Gaara shrugged and turned most of his attention back to his own set of scrolls. The three of them had grown rather used to finishing up scrolls together between hearings. Sometimes, A stayed back with them, but most of the time he gave the remaining work to C and disappeared somewhere, probably to reprimand Killer B. And Ōnoki never stayed, much to their collected relief—he was a _giant_ asshole in their opinions, and they hated to be around him.

"I only had one scroll left," grumbled Tsunade.

"Not true," said Gaara, shaking his head and pointing to the floor in front of her desk. "You still have one left. You knocked it over last night after you got drunk off of your ass." Tsunade frowned and stretched over the desk, craning her neck as far as she could and began cursing like a sailor when she spotted the scroll Gaara referred to. Growling, she reached down and grabbed it off the ground, slamming it down on the desktop and nearly dislodging the bottle of sake. She ripped it open, still cursing, and then suddenly stopped all movements when she read its contents. Gaara blinked, surprised the flow of swear words stopped so suddenly. "What is it?"

"This is about Shizuka. I completely forgot about him," said Tsunade, sounding suddenly very tired. "It's about his training."

Mei looked up from her scrolls. "I remember you mentioning that to me. You said something about him coming to train in Kiri?"

"Yeah," said Tsunade, picking up her pen and using it in order to read straight. "There are many options, but the fact remains that we need him to receive the emotional training that Kiri nin possess."

"Why?" Mei blushed to herself for sounding so vapid. "Sorry, but growing up, we didn't get the story of why the Gekkō family left Kirigakure, or why we even hate them. We were just taught to hate them. I'm unfamiliar about the family in general. Could you please explain to me why it is that you want me to let your Genin receive the training of the Mist shinobi?"

Tsunade sighed. "It's that sword they use. The katana. It's…" Tsunade frowned. "I guess one could say that it's liked a Tailed Beast demon. It uses and abuses the body of its owner for its own benefit. The costs of it far exceed the many goods it can do."

Mei's frown deepened. "You're speaking of it as if it's… alive."

"For all intents and purposes, the blade is alive," said Tsunade, "The blade drains the chakra of its users and manipulates the thoughts of its owners in order to control them. The user's will becomes transplanted with the blade's own, after a period of time and after the user's emotion have become too extreme for there to be a snowball's chance in hell of being alright." She looked over at Gaara. "Those orange eyes you saw? That was a small glance at the power of the sword. It's not even stage one, what you saw."

Gaara frowned. "And his brother received this training?" he asked.

"Yes. All first-born Gekkō children are given the training. Shizuka would've never received the training, even if Hayate was alive and if his parents were as well. He was never meant to get the blade," she responded in affirmative, nodding. "But now that he's had a lower level of the stages, he can't just go back to not using the blade. They're bonded now, as Hayate supposedly put it once. Apparently, when the blade takes in any amount of chakra—it could even be point-zero-zero-one percent of chakra—if that blade is not used by Shizuka, it will kill him. The blade releases a toxin into the user's body upon that first usage that activates whenever the user is in a battle without having given the blade any amount of chakra. It's extremely sinister."

"If the blade takes control… would he go crazy?" asked Mei, "Like, for instance, Momochi Zabuza-crazy?"

Tsunade coughed a laugh despite the mood. "Probably worst than that. Again, it is in stages, so I doubt he'll get that far before someone takes him out."

Mei began to shake her head. "No. I'm sorry; Tsunade, but I can't risk the life of my shinobi. I understand you need our help, but if this blade makes him a threat worse than Zabuza—I understand it's a maybe, but if it's a maybe that means it can happen, and as Kage it's my duty to explore every option—I can't just let Shizuka-san into my village. Beyond that, he's a shinobi from your village, and I assume that after he is done with the training he'll be sent back to Konoha. Knowing that, I can't chance him leaving my village with secrets about my clan, or the village infrastructure. While we're allies, and I personally like you, I doubt you'd allow any of my shinobi with the same condition as Shizuka-san seems to have and not worry about minute details. My shinobi are barely held together by their own bonds, and I have no doubt that they'd kill Shizuka-san in a heartbeat should he represent any danger to his-and-her-own."

Tsunade swallowed. "I see. Well. _Fuck._ You were probably my best option—"

"I'll take him." Both women blinked and looked over at their male counterpart, eyes wide in surprise. Gaara stared right back, knowing that they didn't expect him, of all people, to offer his aid in this type of situation. He was alright with that. It felt good to know he was still somewhat unpredictable. "My father modeled my training after the Kirigakure training, so I know what to do with him. My sensei's wife is a swords mistress in our village, as well as the leading medical mind. She and he would get along very well, knowing he is one of your medical nin. I know what it's like to have a psychotic Tailed Beast, so I can probably adapt the training better to Shizuka's case than any Kiri nin can—no offense—and we're far out in the desert, which is filled with enough sand for me to destroy a country should I see fit. Restraining an eleven-year-old will be a piece of piss."

Tsunade slowly nodded, and then her frown deepened more. "Gaara, while I appreciate this and I see your point, think about this fact: Gekkō Hayate, Shizuka's only living family, was killed at the hands of your sensei. If Shizuka was ever to find out, there's no telling how he would react to the information. And now you're suggesting that he live in Suna, where he'd inevitably run into Baki?"

Gaara nodded. "We don't tell him. Baki has repented multiple times. He was under strict orders at the time. You have cleared him of this crime."

"True. But my word means jack shit when revenge is on the tables. It's one of the reasons I never give Yugao any mission to Sunagakure."

"I understand. But when it comes down to it, Shizuka needs the training, and I'm the one who can keep him from murdering people when he loses it. Our clans take care of their own business through their own councils. I simply approve of transactions. Deals and negotiations are seen through me often, but most of our deals are well known by your village. He will not be privy to any sensitive info. In addition, I can offer him opportunities to increase his medical knowledge with our medical greenhouse, as well as the hospital. He would do well there."

Tsunade groaned and slammed her face against the desk. "Why does it sound like you're _advertising _Sunagakure to me? You sound like a fucking real estate article. '3 bed, 2 spacious bath, spacious backyard with pool, 2 stories'." Mei and Gaara both chuckled, and Tsunade raised her head, grabbing the neck of the bottle of sake and taking a swig with newfound vigor. "You know what? Fine. I'll do it. I'll send Shizuka to Sunagakure for training." Shaking her head, she put down the bottle and picked up her pen, beginning to write in the scroll. "You realtors are all so convincing," she muttered to herself.

* * *

"Again with this being bound shit," grumbled Sasuke irritably as he walked alongside the one ANBU guard (apparently Shisui had been completely serious with his threats), having been called for the verdict he should've received days beforehand. He had no idea why he'd been told to wait, and he also had no idea that he was fetched while he and Itachi were having an actual conversation for the first time in years, and it also pissed him off her didn't receive an answer as to why. They were screwing with his time with his brother, for Chrissakes—just because he was a criminal did not mean that he wasn't a person.

"They don't trust you," said an all-too-familiar tired-sounding voice.

"Shikamaru?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He should've been able to tell. That pineapple hair was all too distinctive. But maybe it was because the last time he'd seen the man he was on the brink of death that he wasn't expecting him. "Why're you leading me around?"

"I was ordered. I didn't ask questions," replied the masked Shikamaru with a shrug, not caring that Sasuke had identified him. "And since I was pretty much healed after about a day or two of rest, Tsunade didn't see any reason why I should sit on my ass and do nothing at all. She's a very troublesome woman, that Hokage."

Sasuke smirked a little. "So you really have joined Naruto and me in being monsters."

Shikamaru shrugged again. "I guess so. I don't mind it half as much as I assumed I would. Matatabi is actually kinda cool. It knows a lot of shit, it likes cigarettes, it's genuinely worried about me, and it doesn't mind I'm chilled. For a first impression, I kind of like it."

Sasuke smiled genuinely now. "That's good."

Shikamaru turned and looked at him. "Who're you, and what've you done with the real Uchiha Sasuke?" he joked as they reached the Kage's tent, at which moment the both of them immediately sobered, their smiles slipping off and becoming more professionally. Shikamaru nodded at both guards standing outside the tent, who nodded back and opened the flap of the tent for them, allowing them to enter. "You go over there. I go over here," said Shikamaru in a whisper, waving farewell to Sasuke as he made his way over to Naruto and Shikaru.

Naruto was the first to notice him. "They called you here, too?" he asked. Sasuke gave him a look that said 'no shit', which Naruto promptly ignored. "So I guess Hinata might be on her way, too," Naruto continued, attempting to cross his arms over his chest but finding himself completely unable to due to the fact that he was bound at the wrists with cable ties. "I dunno about you, but the guy who brought me here did the cable ties too tight. Who were you brought here by, Sasuke?"

"Shikamaru," he responded, as the guards came towards them, making them stand in a straight line rather than the general cluster the three were in. "You?" he asked.

"I think it was Sai. What about you, Shikaru?"

"Kakashi. I was with him when they called for me. They sent someone else, but… in the end, Kakashi brought me here." Naruto and Sasuke both raised an eyebrow at that, flicking curious glances at their teacher. Just what did Kakashi do? And why the hell did he want to bring Shikaru to the Kage's tent? Shit, why was Shikaru with Kakashi in the first place? Naruto and Sasuke both began to think of inappropriate and plain wrong scenarios, their thoughts almost visible on their faces. Shikaru blushed madly and looked away from them. "God. It's _nothing like that_."

"I'm sure," said Naruto, a grin growing on his face despite himself. It should've been disgusting, but anything involving Kakashi-sensei and that mask made for a funny scenario, especially when one was faced with the possibilities of what was under the mask. Sasuke was doing better than Naruto at hiding his own thoughts, which in and of itself shouldn't be as big as of a feat as it was. Though, his accomplishment didn't last very long—soon, the both of them were dissolving into a fit of giggles, Sasuke because he imagined Kakashi with buck-teeth and a mole on his nose, and Naruto because his thoughts were getting more inappropriate and more hilarious.

Shikaru sighed and shook his head. "Dirty men," he grumbled as he noticed Hinata coming into the tent, her face filled with sadness. He figured it might just be separation anxiety—as far as he knew, this was the first moment she was willingly spending away from Kankurō—and gave her a small smile upon entering the tent. She smiled back, gently, and silently took a place on the end next to Sasuke, not saying a word. Her ANBU guard took his own place next to the other escorting shinobi, each of whom were wearing ANBU uniform, even Kakashi, making Naruto and Sasuke further fall prey to their inappropriate thoughts with slight snickers.

The moment the third Tsuchikage spoke, however, all humor was sucked out of the room. It was like the little old man was a black hole of all things containing happiness. Ōnoki was a perpetually angry, sometimes cruel old fart with a habit of judging people without even knowing them before hand. Just hearing his voice pissed all of them off, not just the ones being judged, but the Kages and the ANBU present as well. "We are here for the verdicts of Nara Shikaru, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyūga Hinata, four shinobi of Konohagakure who have deserted their village and willingly gone to S-ranked criminals Uchiha Obito and Yakushi Kabuto, the latter of which have _seemed_ to have gotten away."

"Let's get right to it, shall we?" interrupted Tsunade, not wanting to hear him complain about anything. A nodded in agreement, barely holding back his own chuckles of amusement at the look on Ōnoki's face. "Hinata." Her pale lavender eyes snapped up immediately, unreadable to all parties present. Kakashi had taught her well of tactically hiding her emotions. "Hinata, your crime is desertion, as well as the aid of the enemy, the convincing of comrades to desert, endangerment of village secrets amongst many charges. You're guilty of all counts." Hinata nodded, looking back down at her sandals as Tsunade turned her attention to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, your crime is also desertion, a felony you have been charged with before, as well as a second endangerment of village secrets and aid of the enemy; amongst others. You're guilty of these counts." She turned to the next person. "Naruto, like Hinata and Sasuke, your crimes are desertion, aid to the enemy, endangerment of village secrets, and the slightly-more-specific and newer charge of 'creating the Jūbi', which Hinata shares with you." Naruto opened his mouth to argue that point, but Sasuke slammed his hand down on Naruto's mouth before he could say anything, allowing Tsunade to turn to the next person. "Shikaru. You have practically all of the counts that they all have, save for Naruto and Hinata's 'creating of the Jūbi'. You also have mentionable counts of homicide, injury, destruction of both public and private properties to your name." Shikaru nodded, swallowing.

"The charges I've mentioned is enough grounds for execution," continued Tsunade, placing her hands under her chin. "Public execution at that, considering the shame you have put yourselves and the name of the Allied Shinobi Forces under with this. These are acts that cannot go unpunished."

"Thankfully, however," said Mei with a small smile on her face, "These acts haven't gone unpunished." All four shinobi looked up, confusion lighting up their eyes and making Mei chuckle lightly to herself. "As Kages, we have analyzed the situation in order to find the best way to punish you, as well as what the charges were. The charges all stem from one original charge—desertion. Normally, that's where it stops. But due to your very specific situation, with the threat that Hyūga Hinata had received through Hyūga Neji upon the safety of the Hyūga clan we have deemed it fairer to exact punishment on the person who threatened the clan in the first place in exchange for your desertions."

"W-What?" stuttered Hinata, eyes wide. She looked over at Naruto, who looked back. Shikaru and Sasuke didn't know it was Sakura who'd done it. Only they could possibly figure out the subtext in Mei's words: _they executed Sakura_. Hinata placed a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. This was her fault, wasn't it? It was somehow her fault Sakura was dead now. If only she'd fought back, if only she'd done something different—none of this would've happened, and Sakura wouldn't be… no, she couldn't even think of the word.

"Therefore, your charges have all been lifted," said Gaara with a small smirk. "You all have good standing once again." Usually, Naruto would've jumped for joy. He would've danced and screamed and shouted and sang with happiness. However, this moment was not something he could possibly be happy about. While he was mad at Sakura, she was like his sister. He couldn't just, therefore, be happy that her execution had been the way he was saved from an execution of his own. His skin felt too hot for his body, and he just wanted to rip out his guts. He didn't even realize he was crying until Hinata walked to him and hooked her hands over his neck and pulled him into her, consoling him so simply, yet so powerfully.

They didn't need to speak in that moment. They both knew what the other was thinking. They were blaming themselves, in their heads. They both believed that what happened to Sakura was somehow their fault. They hadn't seen what was happening with her. They hadn't been close enough with her. They hadn't shown her as much concern as they should have, in the end. The last thing either of them remembered about Sakura was seeing her lying there, half-dead by their own hands. They'd hated her, in that moment, and that was the last time they'd seen her. They couldn't change that now; they couldn't try to make amends. It would always stand that they hadn't shown her any compassion in the end, like friends should.

And that was what hurt the most—that they hadn't been actual friends to her, in the end. They had let their anger get the best of them, and now there was no taking it back. She was gone. Sakura was gone.

* * *

When Kankurō woke up the second time, he was hungrier than he'd ever been in his life. He attempted to sit up—even a little—but his body refused to budge. Every muscle in him hurt a lot, for reasons he couldn't understand. His leg more so than the rest, but he didn't think twice about it. He was more focused on the soreness of his throat at the moment.

"I… need water…"

"Oh, shit, hey," spoke a rough, masculine-sounding voice. He tried to turn his head, but his neck refused to budge unless he had some sort of liquid or food in him.

"…Water…"

"Yeah, sure, hold on," said the person again. He heard the sound of shuffling feet and pouring water, and in the next second a view of Kiba's face filled his vision, a small smirk touching Kiba's lips. He gently placed a hand behind Kankurō's head and helped him up so that he could bring the cup to Kankurō's lips, allowing the puppeteer to take sips of the cold liquid. He could feel the coolness rushing down his throat as he drank. It felt so much better than anything he'd ever felt in his entire life, too amazing for words.

"Where am I?" asked Kankurō, his throat feeling a hell of a lot less like live fire. At least not he could turn his neck without much pain.

"Hospital. Rain country," said Kiba, placing the empty paper cup onto Kankurō's bedside table, flopping down into a chair within Kankurō's vision. "You've been out for about two weeks so far, man. You woke up earlier today, but you went right back to sleep. The nurse said that was normal in coma cases…"

"Coma?" Kankurō said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "_Two weeks?_"

"You looked like shit. You lost a lot of blood. If you hadn't done half the good job you did on that leg of yours, you definitely would've lost more blood. The doctors said that you made the possible blood loss half with what you did, and that was what helped you survive. That's what helped you live." He pointed. "You've been on the drip for the past few weeks, and you've had a couple of blood transfusions—a little from Temari, but not much 'cause she's pregnant—"

"My sister's pregnant?" interrupted Kankurō, his anger mounting, "_That dickwad Shikamaru knocked up my sister?!_" He sat bolt upright, startling Kiba. "_That's fucking it! I'm gonna kill that pineapple-haired little bastard! I'm gonna skin him fucking alive! How dare he knock up my sister in time for a fucking war?! How dare he knock her up when she's only nineteen and not old enough for a fucking child?!_" He yanked the blanket off of his lower body, jumping off the bed onto surprisingly steady legs.

Kiba pushed himself as far into the corner as he could go. He'd never seen someone get so angry before. And he was also pretty sure that Kankurō hadn't used his muscles in weeks and shouldn't be able to get up like he had. It was like he was some sort of monster. He was afraid that after he killed Shikamaru, he'd go after him! His fear was unnecessary. He buckled, falling to the ground hard. He winced, grabbing at his painful leg without thinking and finding that he was touching smooth wood. Blinking, he stared down at his leg, finally realizing what he was seeing.

And upon realizing what he was seeing, he remembered exactly what had happened. Every last detail—getting Hinata back, fighting Hinata's mom, fighting his own dad, arguing slightly with Gaara, cutting off his leg, and saving Kiba and Akamaru—everything. And now he was refaced with a question he had before he'd gotten to Hinata again: what does he do?

What should he do? What could he do? Almost as if she had known she'd been thought about, Hinata rushed into the hospital room, her indigo hair flying as she ran, her cheek flushed pink. As much as he didn't want to think so, she was beautiful in this moment. So beautiful. It was hard to be mad at her when she looked that way. And when she smiled… he felt like his heart was breaking in his chest. He didn't smile back at all. It would just be easier if he didn't. He knew he was looking out for himself in this moment, but he didn't see any other choice.

"Hinata," he said in a dull, sad voice that immediately had Hinata's stomach fall and her smile fall away, "We need to talk."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Of Resolutions, Part 4

**Truth be told, I had this chapter done days ago. I was going to upload both on Sunday, but I figured it would be a lot of words to handle at one time-easily more than ten thousand (in fact, it's 17k+ words together). So I hope it's easy to understand why I waited a few days. I've already started on the next chapter, so hopefully I'll have that up ASAP. I don't believe I'll be uploading at all during weekdays for the next two weeks. I've got AP tests to take. My teachers have high hopes for me, so I have to live up to them. I'll be spending more time studying for those rather than writing this (as much as I may enjoy this). Sorry. **

**To ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: I honestly hadn't realized how long it was until I received the email telling me. Didn't mean to upload more than nine thousand words-I usually edit to avoid that happening-but I'm glad you liked it. And I thought I was just nattering on. :D And why does everyone seemed to be shocked when I write that Sasuke smiles at something? I mean, he more often smirks, but he smiles sometimes! To ****McKazekage****: haha, I think everyone would kick Kankuro's ass if he screwed up (again). But this time, it is kind of Hinata's fault, if you think about it. After all, I find it to be a little bit of a hypocrisy that Hinata breaks up with Kankuro because he goes behind her back (for all intents and purposes) and then goes and does what can be seen as the same thing. That's kind of what I was going for, but I couldn't put it into words while writing the chapter-it all seemed asshole-ish. But it doesn't matter. Don't worry about them, don't worry about it. You'll see ~ x) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; just the story and the OC's. Enjoy! **

In the old days, shinobi are people who tend to keep their emotions, their reactions towards different situations, their needs and their wants secretive for as long as possible. They are trained to deny themselves what they want for extended periods of time in order to be more grateful upon getting it. It supposedly was meant to make them appreciate life more. Of course, this idea—appreciation of life through keeping things to one self—has been proved wrong. Shinobi now live hard, and they live fast, or else they will live with regrets. They want to die happily, having done everything they'd ever dreamed of doing. They don't have time to make this happen. Any day could be the end. So they have to start now, and they have to start quickly.

While it may be hard, life was fleeting. It is important to live everyday to its fullest potential, to do everything that one might want to do at least once. For instance, Naruto made it his personal mission to try every type of ramen known to man in every town, every city, and every country. Hanabi made it her mission to annoy every person in Konoha at least once with her mischief. Shizuka made it his personal mission to attempt to protect everyone he cared about from anything. They had all made their intentions clear and full. They knew what they were going to do. However, Shikaru wasn't like that. He didn't just wake up and know what he wanted. He lived very day-to-day, wishing for things to change and feeling saddened when they didn't.

What he learned from the past few days was that ideal was faulty. Wishes normally don't come true. People can wish as hard as they want for something, but in the end, if they do nothing about it nothing will get done. If he wanted something to change, he had to force that change to happen. He had to make what he wanted a reality. Certain things, he would admit were far beyond his reach. But others were so close that it would be ridiculous not to try for them, not to make the effort, not to make them happen.

That was why when the shinobi slowly filtered out of the Kages' tent; he stayed put, forcing Kakashi to stay with him with a confused look under his mask. The Kages did their best to ignore him, but he knew that they had noticed him—how could they not; he'd stayed behind in a place he so obviously did not want to be—and he knew that they wouldn't ignore him for very long, specifically the Tsuchikage. He was playing towards the Tsuchikage's hatred of him for this moment. He knew he was being more than unfair, but he needed to do this. If not for what he wanted, then for himself.

Inevitably, Ōnoki broke, tearing his eyes away from the scroll he was currently writing in to glare at the young boy. Shikaru knew from multiple stories that out of the five Kages, the Tsuchikage hated him the most. He knew that Ōnoki wanted him dead, and so he was using that to force the other Kages to pay attention to him. "What do you want, demon?" he growled angrily, forcing the four remaining Kage to turn their own eyes towards him.

Tsunade frowned at the Tsuchikage, and then turned her attention towards Shikaru. "Why are you here, Shikaru? We've already cleared you of all crimes. You're free to go."

"I know. I'm free to do what I want. I understand," said Shikaru, nodding, "But… what I want to do… it's something that would get me into an insurmountable amount of trouble from all five of you." He gave a nod of respect towards each one before he returned to a calm, stoned demeanor. "It's about Uchiha Obito."

"I bet the demon wants to save the devil," grumbled Ōnoki.

"Shut up," growled A, too annoyed by Ōnoki comments to just ignore them. "Will you just let the kid speak, you stupid old fart? He'll be outta your hair in a minute, if you'll let him pitch his idea. Dumbass." He turned back to the boy in question. "You're one of Uzumaki Naruto's students, correct?"

"Yeah," said Shikaru with a nod, "You know him very well?"

"Not personally. B trained with him. B trusts him, and so I trust him. From what I saw, Uzumaki trusts you. Can I trust you, kid, not to piss me off as much as those two do when they try to rap?" Shikaru couldn't help but snicker a little. Naruto was a horrid rapper. That explained where he got that habit from.

"I'll try," Shikaru responded with a nod before adding, "Though you'll really hate my idea."

"Not as much as I hate the rapping," said A, waving his hand in dismissal of Shikaru's addition. "Come kid. Speak what you want."

Shikaru shrugged. _Here goes nothing. _"I want to wipe Obito's memories of this event," he said bluntly, earning confused looks from the Kages. He swallowed and backtracked. "I kinda meant to say that I want to wipe Obito's memories in lieu of actually executing him. Sorry."

Ōnoki was the first to jump to his feet. "ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT!" he barked, "LEAVE BEFORE WE CHARGE YOU FOR EVEN SUGGESTING SUCH A TREASONOUS ACT!"

"Shikaru, no," said Tsunade, shaking her head, "I'm sorry. But no. I'll have to side with the Tsuchikage on this one. That's a bat-shit idea. He's an S-class criminal with many other charges to his name. Logistically speaking, he should've been killed before even setting foot in this camp. The man is a murderous son-of-a-bitch, as well as psychotic. I know you feel obligated, because you're family, but Shikaru… no. Just… no."

"You're suggesting setting free a man who tried to kill you and Shizuka, as well as Kakashi, Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, myself… and countless others," said Gaara, "Besides, he is also responsible for the death of the previous Mizukage. We can't just forget that…"

"I call bull." The five Kage all blinked in surprise at the steel in Shikaru's voice. The boy stared down at his sandals, his hands tightening into fists, biting his lip as hard as he could. "All of you are stupid old farts. You can just forget that, but you don't want to. You're afraid of something like this happening again. It can't. The One-Tails has been destroyed, and so has the statue. Obito is nothing without that. Obito has nothing else except for one thing in this world, and he doesn't even know about it. If he had known about it, things would've turned out a hell of a lot different. He wouldn't have become this person. I can make him into the person he was supposed to be, if you'd let me."

"Shikaru, he tried to kill your father in front of you," said Tsunade, making Shikaru flinch. "Are you just going to let that _go_?"

Shikaru frowned, and then looked up. "Yes. I would. I know my father would want me to, as well." He bit his thumbnail. "I know this sounds vaguely preposterous, but… it's better than just killing him. You can say, publicly, he's been killed. But he can be alive, without any memory of what he's done. It will be better."

"You don't just let criminals go, Shikaru," said Gaara.

Shikaru sneered. "No? Fine." He held out his hands, wrists on top. The Kage looked at him in confusion, as did the silent Kakashi. "I'm a criminal. Are you going to let me go?"

"You're not—"

"I killed hundreds of men in the Earth country," Shikaru interrupted, "As well as many in Konoha. I killed good men for bad reasons. That makes me a criminal, A-class to say the least. To be qualified as an A-class, one must kill a shinobi of a country. Without any other crimes I'd be an A-class, and my crimes were almost worse than that of Uchiha Itachi."

"That wasn't you," said Tsunade. "That was—"

"Senju Obito, Nara Shikaru; does it matter? They are just names. The fact remains that it is by my hands that this was done. Just because it was under another name does not mean it never happened. You cannot just sweep it underneath the carpet, cover your ears and say that it's never been there. Because it was, and is, there. I will always be the Bloodied-Eyed Demon of the Earth, as much as I don't want to be." Shikaru sighed and dropped his arms. "My mother told me that no one loved me, besides her, when I was young. It was the only way she could convince me not to run to the authorities about what she'd done to me. For a long time, I believed her. I thought there was not possibly a person out there who loved me, or missed me. I believed her for four years, until I met Shikaku-ojisan." He smiled softly. "He found me in the street. I didn't believe him at first about what he was telling me, until I looked into his eyes and saw he was telling me the truth. He was serious. He wanted to help me because he loved me. He was sincere that there were many people back home who loved me.

"I often wondered why I changed. I know now. I changed for him. He was the first person who'd believed in me, who wanted me. He didn't hate me for what I'd done. He didn't taunt me for what had happened, nor did he blame it on me. He knew where the fault lay. He knew life was unfair in me, and he did his best to make it better for me. He gave me a life, and opportunities, that I never would've had. If he hadn't been there, I'm pretty sure that I would've been executed by someone, while my mother got away without blame. For the first time in a long time, I had a father.

"I'm not saying what Obito has done is right. I'm not justifying it. What I'm saying is that _I_ was offered that second chance. Someone like me, who is responsible for destroying probably hundreds of families, was offered a second chance. I am… so much of a worse person than Obito is. I wasn't born this way, but this is the person I have been forced to become. But if I was offered this second chance, then who are you to refuse him this chance as well? I want to give him a second chance not because he's my namesake, but because… because in a way, he's more like me than any one person can ever understand." Shikaru looked at the faces of all five Kage and sighed, turning on the ball of his foot. "I'll leave now, I guess. I really have nothing else left to say."

"Stop," ordered the booming Raikage, making every shinobi besides Shikaru flinch. He did as he was told, stopping in mid-step. "Turn back around." Seeing no reason not to, he followed the Raikage's order. The large man sat behind the table, arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes analyzing Shikaru's face. The other four Kage stared at A, interested in what he wanted to say. "How old are you, boy?"

"Thirteen," he responded.

A chuckled. "You've got guts for a thirteen-year-old."

Shikaru gave a soft smile. "Thank you, sir."

"I remember Uchiha Obito from the war. He was behind his sensei, Minato. I remember that he barked at me for thinking I could possibly beat the shit out of his teacher. The Hatake hit him upside the head for that. Do you remember, Hatake?" Kakashi flinched, and then recovered and nodded, removing his mask. "From what I understand, it's my village's fault for your friend's current disposition, as well as the fault of Iwagakure's. After all, it was what I refer to now as 'my shinobi' who 'killed' him. I don't know what happened to him between then and now, but the fact remains that if it hadn't been for my shinobi, and the Tsuchikage's, he would've had a promising career as a Leaf. Right?"

Kakashi nodded. "I would think so."

"Right! So, that means everything could be pinpointed back to the fault lying with the shinobi who crushed his body," said A.

"They're dead, aren't they?" asked Ōnoki, brow arching.

A sneered down at Ōnoki. "_Exactly_."

The shinobi present stared at the Raikage with confusion evident in their features, not knowing what to make of his statement, until Gaara smiled wide, his jade eyes filling with amusement. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead what came out was laughter, loud and obnoxious, resounding off of the tent walls. He smirked at the Kazekage, who was too involved with his own laughter to notice. "He understands."

"Understands what?" asked Shikaru as Kakashi smirked behind his own mask. Kakashi opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted quickly.

"No!" screamed Ōnoki, his face turning red with anger. "You cannot absolve that thing of what he's done! Its bad enough you let that monster go! I will not accept that!" The four other Kages stared at the Tsuchikage as he fumed, finally jumping down from his chair, running out of the tent, barking orders at his guards outside. In the back of Kakashi's mind, it registered that this may very well be the last time that the Earth would ever help out with a war. He tried to take it in stride, turning his attentions back to explaining. The four remaining Kages did the very same, trying to get their minds off of the old ass that they wish they could be celebrating about his leaving.

"You remember, in your trial, when they said that the blame can be simplified and followed back to the person who really caused all of the problems?" asked Kakashi, flicking Shikaru a glance. Shikaru nodded; his brow furrowing. "They've executed _that person_ for all these counts. Right now, the Raikage is using the same basic logic. He tracked down the original cause of what had happened to Obito down to the rock falling on top of him and crushing half of his body. If that had never happened, then Obito would've never become what he is. Therefore, according to the Raikage, the fault lies with the shinobi who caused that rock to crush him, who I know first-hand to be dead. Therefore, if you think about it that way…"

"The punishment has been carried out already, for over twenty or so years," finished Gaara for him, smirking at A, "Now that was good."

"So, technically speaking, before he was imprisoned he was cleared of the charges," said Mei with a small smirk of her own, "By our own judgment call."

"So… are you guys giving permission?" asked Kakashi, smiling wide behind his mask.

"I don't see a reason why not. What about you… _Tsunade_?" The shinobi's attentions were turned towards the Fifth Hokage in question, who was slamming back shot after shot of sake. They all looked surprised, wondering just where she got the rice wine from, and for how long she'd been slamming back drinks. Her honey-colored eyes looked around the tent, slightly bleary.

"Ah, hell. He had me at the sob story," said Tsunade, waving her hand in dismissal. "Go ahead, dammit. I know you two. I know you would've done it anyways. Just don't fuck it up, or else I'll put his charges on you guys, _not _on those two dead fucks who seem to be the root of all of our problems. Am I understood, you two?" Kakashi and Shikaru both nodded at the same time, both knowing she was completely serious, even if inebriated—and she would do it herself, too.

* * *

"We need to talk" was possibly the worse set of words in the history of romance. "We need to talk" is the exact point where happiness ends, and misery rears its ugly head. Just the mere thought of hearing it is enough to make a person want to vomit, especially when they were truly in love. The stronger the love, the harder that sentence is to hear. Hearing it during a regular, high-school type relationship is like getting punched. Hearing it during a regular quasi-love relationship is like being stabbed in the gut. Hearing it in a regular full-love relationship is like being getting stabbed in the chest. But hearing it in such an irregular, young and full-blown loving relationship like the one Hinata had with Kankurō was more like she was getting stabbed in the chest with a Chidori. It hurt like nothing else she ever knew before.

"O-Okay," she choked out, surprising herself by managing not to faint. Kankurō nodded and managed to stand completely, limping over to the bed and sitting down on its edge. "K-Kiba?" she stuttered out, turning to the fang-tattooed shinobi who was trying to fit himself into the corner to no avail. "K-Kiba, c-can you l-leave…?"

Kiba blinked and looked up, not fully realizing what she was saying due to the fact that she was stuttering. He hadn't heard her stutter in such a long time, not this much. He looked between his two friends, his dark eyes filled with confusion. "What? Why?" he asked, pushing himself out of the corner and fully into the room, moving close to the two shinobi. "Why do you want me to leave?"

"I need to talk with Hinata," said Kankurō in a low voice, looking down at his legs. "It's… private."

"P-Please, K-Kankurō," she whispered, biting her bottom lip.

Suddenly, everything clicked. He knew he could be slow, but for Chrissakes, he couldn't be _that _slow. "No," whispered Kiba at first, eyes wide as his chest began to lock up. "No!" he yelled out now, heard very well by the two shinobi.

"Kiba…" said Kankurō, looking up at the tattooed shinobi with pain evident in his eyes.

"No! You guys are not going to do this!" he yelled, unable to control his emotions. "You're not even gonna consider this to be a good idea, Kankurō! For fuck's sake, you cannot be serious about this! You just can't! Why the fuck would you two even think for a second that you could break up? No! Fuck that shit! I'm not gonna let you—either of you!"

"Kiba… this has nothing to do with you," said Kankurō.

"The hell it doesn't!" he yelled, making both of them flinch with the anger he had in his voice. "The two of you are such fucking idiots! Have you forgotten who was there for the both of you the first time you broke up? Or are you so lost in your own fucking self pity that you can't remember?!" Neither of them responded, unsure of what to say or do without offending him. "You were fucking messes, and me, Shino, and Akamaru were the guys who stood there for both of you, despite our closer friendship with Hinata! We bought you an obscene amount of food every time we went out in order to distract you, Hinata, and talked to you about anything you wanted! And Kankurō, we answered every question you had to ask, we helped you do anything you needed! You two may be the ones in love, but there are so many more people in this fucking relationship!"

"K-Kiba…" Hinata whispered.

"Yeah, she made mistakes! She's human! We all make mistakes! And I know that you feel betrayed that she didn't trust you enough, Kankurō, and I understand that! But understand me when I say this—you're both too deep in this relationship to just call it quits. It's more than just about the fact that you've fucked—it's about the sheer fact that you're both fucking mad about each other! You guys are too in love to call this quits without permanently messing with yourselves! You guys are the fucking _personification _of love; if you two break up, then what the hell else will we have to strive for? Absolutely fucking nothing!" He sighed, seemingly deflating. "You know what. Forget I just said anything. I doubt I've gotten through to either of you. I know both of you, and I know you're both stubborn. Just do what you want."

He sighed again and wrung his hands, backing away from the both of them and walking to the door, grabbing the doorknob with his shaky hands. "Just don't come to me to help you guys. I can't do what I did again. You two are my best friends, and I love both of you like siblings. In fact, it's because I love you guys that I can't do it again. It's too painful to be split between you guys like that." Kiba opened the door, walking out into the hallway as the door slammed shut behind him, leaving the two of them in a moment of complete quiet. Kankurō stared at the doorknob, fully thinking through what Kiba had said and realizing that not one part of it was untrue. Kiba was smarter than anyone really gave him credit for, in Kankurō's opinion. Kiba was completely and scarily right. He did love Hinata, almost a maddening amount in fact. When Hinata had broken up with him, he'd been beyond heartbroken. It'd been the worst injury he'd ever received.

Did he really want to go through that again?

"I can't," he whispered finally, forcing himself to his feet and walking over to Hinata, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could and surprising the girl. "No. I can't. I refuse to. I don't want to. I don't want this to go away again. Not after what happened. I refuse to let this all go away again just because I'm a little upset that you didn't confide in me. Kiba's right. It's painful, because I love you. I love you. Don't ever do that again to me, Hinata. For fuck's sake, never do that again." He tightened his grip around her, biting his bottom lip. Hinata gasped into his gown front, finally wrapping her own arms around his torso as much as she could. "I love you. Don't leave me again. Please. I love you."

"I-I l-love you," she responded, sobbing into the gown now, easily soaking through the fabric with her tears. "I-I'm so s-sorry. I-I just didn't w-want a-anybody to g-get hurt b-by telling you what h-happened. I-I j-just wanted you t-to find m-me b-before we g-got to the hideout, b-but we d-did and then i-it all happened… I'm j-just g-glad you f-found me a-at all. I-I almost w-was afraid y-you forgot m-me. I-I'm s-sorry… I love you…" She fisted the material of the hospital gown tight in her grip, trying to keep him close. "I-I d-don't want to lose you, K-Kurō. I-I don't k-know what I-I'd be if I-I did."

Kankurō kissed the top of her head, happier in that moment than he'd felt in weeks. "I don't want to know, and you'll never find out, because you're stuck with me until we die. You're _mine_. Mine. And I'm yours. I'll always be yours." Taking her by the chin, he claimed her lips with a hot passion he'd been unable to do for weeks, earning a moan from her as she kissed him back with as much vigor, unable to hold herself back. She'd missed him. He'd missed her. And now they were coming back together.

Behind the door, Kiba smirked to himself. He was proud that he'd suppressed his chakra, and further proud that he'd single-handedly managed to convince his two friends to avoid that break-up. He really hadn't known if his points had gotten through to them, but he was glad to hear that they obviously did. He'd spoken things he'd never wanted to tell them, but he couldn't just hold it in that situation. Now he was glad he'd told them about it, about their relationship being more than just them. _Nah, _Kiba thought with a smirk, _Kankurō's in a relationship with all of Team Eight. It's just Hinata he's making out with; not all of us. _He smirk turned into a full-blown smile as he sauntered off, hands stuffed in his pockets. Maybe he wasn't completely alone without Akamaru. Maybe he didn't truly need a whole lot besides his friends. Right now, he was satisfied. Sure, someday he'd wish for something more—maybe a lover of some sort; a family of his own. But right now, in this moment, he was more than satisfied with the friends he'd gathered. He liked the life he had now, and he was in no rush to hurry it along.

* * *

Kakashi was more than used to Obito's dirty looks by now. He didn't care about it anymore, he hardly noticed it. It didn't really click in his head that it was happening. He accepted that Obito had a right to give him the dirty looks, and he didn't argue with him at all. But he refused—downright refused—the idea that he would growl at Shikaru. Yes, Shikaru had beaten him in a fight. Yes, Shikaru had rendered him a human vegetable for two days with his Mangekyo. But he was protecting people, people he cared about. Shikaru was fighting him for a reason.

"Don't give him that," Kakashi grounded out, for the first time in a long time angry at Obito.

Obito raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "What, you're actually talking to me again, Kakashi, and not about 'saving me from myself'? Call the press." He rolled his eyes and glared at Shikaru. "Why's the kid here?"

"I forced him to let me," said Shikaru, stepping out from behind Kakashi, his intelligent dark brown eyes finding Obito's onyx eyes, showing nothing of what he was thinking. "I want to help you, Uchiha-san."

"Uchiha-san?" said Obito, his black eyes dancing with both amusement and anger. "Not 'Obito-Ojisan'?" he taunted him, aiming to hurt Shikaru emotionally. Due to the fact that all of his chakra was restrained, as well as his physical body, all Obito could do was lash out emotionally. It was the only line he had left, and he was intent on using it to his advantage. He wanted to hurt in any way he could.

"Not Obito-Ojisan," agreed Shikaru, not showing any signs of being hurt by Obito as he stepped forwards, taking careful steps towards him until he stood right in front of the heavily restrained man, ghosting his fingertips across the lines of chain connected from the floor to his neck. He could almost feel his chakra being drunk by the chain as he touched it. "I'm not personal with you. I know you're my uncle, but you've done nothing for me but use me to kill people. I don't feel a love that a nephew should feel for his uncle towards you. I should hate you for what you've done, but I can't feel that way, either." He looked up from the chain and into Obito's eyes. "I will admit, part of the reason for me wanting to help you is because, frankly, I pity you. I truly and sincerely pity you, but it's not because you've done this, it's because… all I can see when I look at you is me. You're in pain."

"Shut the fuck up!" seethed Obito, craning his neck to reach Shikaru. "You're nothing like me!"

A normal person would've been shaken, but he wasn't. "You can believe that if you want. Honestly, it's just my own opinion. It has no concrete scientific facts to it. But the fact will remain that it's because I see myself in you—or I see you in me—that I want to help you." He took a deep breath. "Kakashi told me about Rin." Obito stopped moving, his eyes wide as he looked at him. Shikaru dug into his back pocket, pulling out a scroll.

"When Kabuto left the hideout, he left behind a few things, most of which was extra Sharingan eyes, but also included this. I read it. It's a log on an unranked mission, written by Namikaze Minato during the Third Shinobi World War. It's in reference to a top-secret mission he led about the hiding of a specific kunoichi who was on the first page of wartime Kumo BINGO books. In it, it states that a dead body was operated on and revived for a small amount of time in order to allow a shinobi to make it seem as if the kunoichi was killed at his own hand. The kunoichi in question, who survived, was relocated to a small village on the edge of the Land of Earth, with the daimyo's knowledge."

Obito stared at Shikaru as he gave a small half-smile, placing the scroll on top of the table close to Obito. "You loved her, didn't you? That's what happened. You must've seen her die, and it made you beyond upset. You wanted to use the Jūbi to bring her back. Honestly… I can't blame you." He sighed. "Love's important. I might've done the same thing, despite the fact that I know it's the wrong thing to do. Knowing that, I can sympathize with you. Knowing that you're not all that different from me… it makes me want to free you from this."

Kakashi wasn't sure if Shikaru was convincing, nor was he sure if Obito was too far gone for him to hear Shikaru at all. Obito looked down at the scroll on the table, his eyes unreadable. He looked up at Kakashi with a seemingly blank expression, his brow furrowed. "Rin… is she not… is she…" He gulped, and Kakashi could finally tell he was barely keeping it together. "Is she… alive?"

His answer was automatic. "Yes."

Obito gasped and hung his head, his body beginning to quiver. "Are you… are you lying to me?"

Kakashi dared to take a step forward, placing a hand on Obito's showing shoulder, making his old friend flinch at the contact. Whatever happened to Obito after that mission, he was sincerely and completely sorry that it'd happened to him. He'd done nothing to deserve it. Obito was a better human being than he had ever been, and would always be far better than he'd ever hoped to be in his eyes. "Remember when I used to call you a loser? An idiot? When I'd call you a waste of space?"

Obito hesitated. "Yeah. I do."

"Well, I was lying then, because I was jealous of you for being happy. For having a real family. For being able to make friends. I was a very petty little bastard, back when you knew me. But I changed when I saw the look you were giving to Rin, back when you were dying. I decided then and there that I couldn't lie to my comrades like I had been ever again, even if to protect them. So when I say that Rin is alive, trust me when I say… I'm not lying at all. Rin is alive, she's as well as she can be, and she loves you," said Kakashi with a soft smirk under his mask, letting go of Obito and taking a step back.

Obito swallowed audibly, his body still quivering. "If I… if I believe you, and you 'free me' in whatever way you mean… does that mean I get to be with her?"

Shikaru looked back at Kakashi, silently looking for permission to answer Obito in the affirmative. Kakashi nodded, and Shikaru smiled softly, turning back around to look at Obito. "Yes," Shikaru responded, nodding even though Obito couldn't see him, "Yes, it does."

Obito gave a soft exhale that could be read as either a sigh or a chuckle. "What does this 'freeing' entail, then?"

Shikaru's smile slipped, and he sighed. "I would wipe your memory of the last few decades you remember. Everything before you were crushed you would keep, but everything after, you'd forget. It'd be a clean slate, starting from where you left off when you were a teenager. That's the price of the freedom you're being offered." Obito sighed shakily, and Shikaru made as if he was going to leave, figuring the sigh was a 'no' on Obito's part, but much to his own surprise Obito began to hysterically laugh, not amused per say, but the sound of it was happy. Shikaru looked back, eyebrows raised in surprise at Obito's shaking figure.

"You make it sound like the worst thing in the world," he said through his laughter. "I thought I was going to have to lose half of my body. You just want to wipe my memory bank clean?" He looked up, his eyes brimming with sad tears, but a determined look in his features, as if he were completely serious rather than crying sadly and laughing happily at the same time. "I'll pay any sort of price, as long as I get to be with her again. I don't want to spend more time away from her."

Shikaru stared at him, admiring the pure love that this man had in his heart. It was hard to believe he was as bad a guy as he was, but at the same time the same could be said about himself. He was, admittedly, slightly jealous that this man could do exactly what he couldn't for himself—get his memory wiped of every bad thing he'd ever done—but he was more glad that he hadn't lost his humanity enough for him to think that losing what he knew to be his power was a bad thing. His love for Rin was stronger than that. Shikaru could tell he would fly to the moon and back if Rin asked him to. He understood it. He smiled softly at his namesake, feeling such happiness and pride that once upon a time he was named after such a man, despite all he'd done. Shikaru stepped closer to him, his black eyes morphing into black and red.

"_Wasureru_," Shikaru whispered, staring Obito in the eye with his Mangekyō Sharingan.

* * *

"Visiting hours are over, sir."

The Fifth Kazekage could be called many things. He could be called a reformed murder, he could be called a psychopath, he could be called an unemotional asshole; and he would take these things because, technically, in twisted sort of way they were all true and he knew people were entitled to their opinions about him. He knew that with the type of name he'd made for himself, he couldn't just believe that people would just forgive him, forget the past and accept him for who he was now. People were entitled to their opinions. But one thing he refused to be called was an idiot. He was a perfectly capable at reading and writing, he had an acute mathematical ability, and really; could a Kazekage really be an idiot?

"I know they are. I can read," he replied in an icy voice, glaring at the nurse who spotted him walking in the hall.

"They've been over since—"

"Five PM. I know that. I still can read. I'm here on official business, not for pleasure or because I have nothing to do."

"But you're the Kazekage."

"No shit," responded Gaara, losing his patience. "And as the Kazekage, I'm here for business. I'm looking for Shizuka's hospital room. Can you tell me where it is, or are you too stupid to know?" She opened her mouth to speak again, and Gaara help up his hand, stopping her words in her throat, looking past her at a girl with messy brown hair and pale eyes. "Never mind. I think I've found someone who may help me more than you can. You may leave. _Now_." The nurse blinked in surprise at Gaara's rough tone, and then caught the message, squeaking like a mouse as she scurried off. Even her movements annoyed him. Gaara rolled his eyes and made his way over to the girl standing outside of the hospital room, her eyes downcast. "You're Hyūga Hanabi, right?"

Hanabi blinked and looked up; finally realizing that the bright-red headed Kazekage was standing in front of her. She'd been lost in her thoughts, thinking about that kiss Shikaru had given her. She blushed bright red, embarrassed that she'd thought about that while somebody was trying to talk to her. "Y-Yeah," she said, pushing off of the wall, pushing that always-loose stand of hair behind her ear.

"Do you know where your teammate's hospital room is?" Gaara asked.

Her brow creased. "Shizuka?" she asked stupidly, making Gaara cock his head to the side slightly and nod slowly. _Great, now he thinks I'm some sort of invalid, _Hanabi thought, shaking her head to clear out thoughts of Shikaru or the kiss. "Sorry. That sounded really stupid. Actually, his room is right here. His doctor's in there now, assessing his heart rate. Apparently he woke up today. The doctor was going to let me visit as soon as he was done. You're welcome to come along in with me, if you'd like. I doubt he'd mind it, especially since you're the Kazekage."

Gaara shrugged. "Fine by me." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling concern for the girl, not irritation or annoyance like she thought. The way Kankurō had talked about her over the years led him to believe that Kankurō felt something like kinship with the little girl. If she was important to Kankurō, therefore, she should be important to him, too. Hanabi smiled meekly at him before ducking her head, attempting to fall into a seemingly polite façade but failing horribly, in Gaara's opinion. "If you don't want to be nice to me, it's fine. I really don't give a shit."

Hanabi blinked and looked up at Gaara. "What? No!" she sputtered, confused. How the hell else was she supposed to act towards a foreign dignitary, especially one as high-up as he was? She didn't know him; he didn't know her, so therefore as a Hyūga it was her job to be courteous towards him; despite the fact that their siblings were involved. "I… I want to…"

"No. You don't. And that's fine. I've had it with people trying to butter me up. I get enough of that in my day-to-day life." Gaara smirked. "Whoever told me it was a good idea to become Kazekage must've just been bullshitting me, or trying to punish me. I hate this." Hanabi smiled weakly, but infinitesimally more sincerely this time around. "You're free to tell me to fuck off, whenever you wish. I promise that no one will try to kill you for it, though I'd much rather you didn't tell me to fuck off."

"You're very… friendly," said Hanabi. "I didn't expect that."

"I've had a very… odd night," admitted Gaara, "I guess I just wanted some sort of normal conversation." He sat down across from her, his jade eyes staying on her face.

"This is a _normal_ conversation for you?" asked Hanabi incredulously.

"As normal as it gets." Hanabi opened her mouth to say more, but she was cut off by the doctor exiting the room. He gave her a warm smile and nodded, eyes twinkling. He was polite and old, infinitesimally better than the doctors they had back at Konohagakure.

"He's ready now," he said, placing a hand on Hanabi's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Don't worry if he falls asleep, miss. He's very tired. And don't give him any food; he's currently going through some amount of nausea, though you could give him some water if he asks. Go on in, he's looking forwards to seeing you." Hanabi nodded her thanks, barely holding in her excitement as she walked into the hospital suite. Gaara stood up, attempting to move past the doctor but being stopped when the old man grabbed his arm. "Your brother woke up, Kazekage-sama," said the doctor with a smile. "From what I understand from when I last went to check up on him, he says that he's glad you didn't die without him fighting with you, and he wants all the details from your own fight."

Gaara chuckled. "Sounds like my brother. Thank you."

"You're more than welcome, Kazekage-sama. Have a good night now," said the doctor with a smile, "I wish all goes well with your sister's pregnancy."

Gaara nodded, barely paying attention as he walked into the suite, his eyes easily finding the curious dark ones of Shizuka. Shizuka smiled shyly at him, looking down at his hands as he wrung them nervously. Hanabi patted the chair next to her, which Gaara appreciatively took.

"I'm sorry," whispered Shizuka as soon as the two seemed settled, surprising the both of them. "I… I'm sorry for causing you guys any pain. I don't really know what came over me. I just… I wanted to protect people, whatever the cost, and… it just seemed like a good idea." He looked up at the ceiling. "God, I sound very stupid right now, don't I? I can't vocalize any sort of thought."

"You sound stupid because you're apologizing," said Hanabi bluntly, making Gaara raise an eyebrow at the balls this girl had. "You were doing your duty, and you did it well. You did good, representing the Hyūga. Representing Team Uzumaki, too." She smiled at him. "I heard you looked badass with that sword."

Shizuka laughed gently. "I guess, although I wouldn't associate the word 'badass' with myself at any point," he joked shyly, blushing lightly at the compliment. Gaara smirked and leaned back in his chair. So this was what he looked like when he wasn't trying to kill people. This kid was growing more and more interesting to him by the second. He had already been interested the moment he figured out that the kid was an outcast, much like he was himself. And his interest just kept bigger and bigger. Shizuka coughed, drawing Gaara from his thoughts. "Hanabi, can you get me some water?"

Hanabi blinked, and then nodded. "Sure. Yeah, Zuka. Just give me a minute, okay? I'll be right back." Hanabi jumped to her feet, sprinting out the door.

Shizuka's eyes found Gaara's. "Fountain is close, but she forgot the cups. Knowing Hanabi, she'll be too damn prideful to admit what she just did, so she'll go all the way to the cafeteria to find cups to get water. That gives us about five minutes. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara's smirk widened in further amusement. "Gaara," he corrected.

Shizuka nodded. "Gaara. What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Gaara nodded back. "Your future, as a shinobi. I assume since Shiranui-san is here a lot, he might've told you at some point about anything pertaining towards that sword."

Shizuka shook his head. "No. But… I've figured out a little bit on my own." He moved his hands from underneath the blanket, showing Gaara the thick bandaging around his palms. "I have chakra burns on my palms from the hilt. When I tried to heal them with medical ninjutsu, I ended up just causing myself more pain. From the logs I've read from different sources, non-healable chakra burns only demonic chakra. The sword is a lot more dangerous than it seems, isn't it?"

Gaara nodded. "I won't go into details now, but the short of it is that you need intensive emotion-management training. The sword wants to take advantage of any powerful emotions you might feel for its own gain, and so the emotional training will stop that from happening." Shizuka nodded, and Gaara felt free to continue. "Your Hokage has asked me to take you under my roof for this training, due to the fact that I have gone through an intensive emotional conditioning myself, and because out of everyone in the countries, there's a chance I might be harmed the least by any attack you might give. I have accepted her request."

"Do I have a choice?" sighed Shizuka. "I've only just gotten any semblance of my old life back."

"You do have a choice. You can take the conditioning, or you can allow the sword to take you over, to the best of my understanding of the situation," said Gaara, moving forwards in his chair. "Before I knocked you unconscious back there, you looked like you were ready to kill whatever got in your way, even if it was your comrades. That sword was exploiting your need to protect those closest to you and implanting a want of its own—what, exactly, I'm unsure, but it wasn't good."

Shizuka bit his lip. "I was going to take my Boards when I got back to Konoha."

Gaara arched his hairless brow. "What?"

"My medical Boards. Since I've already been given rank of Chūnin, I was going to take my Boards while the rest of my classmates were taking their own exams. I wanted to get my official license to practice in Konoha, rather than doing it illegitimately like I have been doing for the past few years." He chuckled softly. "I guess that seems kind of petty right now, but I was kind of looking forwards to it. I wanted to help Hanabi."

"Help her?" asked Gaara.

"Hyūga-sama already debriefed me on her predicament," said Shizuka, "He left shortly before the doctor came. Hanabi's insides are turning into wood."

Gaara leaned back once more in his chair and nodded sagely, internally confused but managing to remain calm. He figured that anything was possible in this world, so he wasn't going to just believe that Shizuka was not being sincere, but it was still a wild idea that he really had to wrap his head around. "I see. Well, it doesn't have to be right away. From what I understand, the exams are being postponed for another three months, and then with the amount of prospective Genin that might participate this year, it'll take about a good month or so. I can give you half a year then, if you wish, until you come to Suna for emotional conditioning."

"For how long?"

"Anywhere from two to five years."

Shizuka bit his lip and looked down. "I'd be gone a long time, then."

"Yes. But you'll have the medical facility in Suna to do your research in, so you can help her," said Gaara, nodding in agreement. Shizuka's head perked up. "We have very good doctors in Suna. Not on the caliber of Konoha doctors, but they've seen odder things. There's a higher chance of them being able to help you rather than Konoha, who've probably no idea where to begin."

Shizuka nodded. "I'd have that, and I'd be able to stop the sword from taking me over?"

Gaara nodded in affirmative as Hanabi came back into the room, grinning wide with a cup of water in her hands. Gaara stood, whispering his farewells as he moved to leave. "Gaara-san," said Shizuka, causing Gaara to turn around, question in his eyes. "Okay. I'll do it."

Gaara merely gave a small smile, and then turned back around, walking out into the hall as if nothing had happened, as if the two hadn't just made an agreement to become student and teacher in the five minutes they actually had a real conversation. _It's all getting interesting now, _Gaara thought as sand poured out of his gourd, wrapping around his body as he disappeared from the hospital, leaving only small particles of sand in his wake.

**Wasureru (****忘れる****) means 'forget'. The other 'side' to the Mangekyo Sharingan of Shikaru's. **


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Of Guilt

**So... this chapter... was a lot of work. A LOT. But I got it done, though I did get a little lost there. :P **

**Four reviews for the last chapter! I would write out longer thanks, but I don't have much time right now. I'll include in the next chapter. But here are my brief thanks to my reviewers: ****Yu Nguyen****, ****McKazekage****, ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****, and ****leesa323****! Thanks for liking my fic, and thanks for sticking with it! Means a lot to me! :) **

**What else... OH! If you like this story, please go check out what I think of as its inspiration, my other multi-chapter fic The Bodyguards. Leave some reviews, maybe... :3**

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Naruto. **

**ENJOY!**

People oftentimes think that shinobi aren't truly people. They think that they are just bodies, soldiers; used for missions and then discarded like used tissues. They think that their power is unholy, and by nature the foolish fail to understand the truth of a shinobi. The truth of shinobi is that they are people—yes, admittedly; some of the worst that humankind could offer, but people nonetheless. They feel the same, they react the same. Shinobi are just as fueled by their emotions as civilians are. They are human, and as humans, they were not above fearing life as they knew it.

No shinobi of Konohagakure figured that things would go back to the way they were before—not the young ones born during the sixteen years of total peace, nor the older ones who felt the touch of the previous war. None of them were naïve enough to feel that way, but all wanted it to. None of them wanted to face harsh realities. No one wanted to start from the ground-up their lives, their homes, their families, or their friendships. No one wanted to feel that emptiness from someone leaving their lives.

No one wanted to, but they all felt it. No one, neither shinobi nor civilian, was exempt from the feeling. None of them had anticipated the magnitude of which it hit, but they all felt it, and as humans, they all tried their best to hide it. Despite this effort, however, it was completely and totally obvious to anyone and everyone with eyes or a sense of humanity. It could be seen in their faces, in their tones, in their body language. Nothing one person could do would hide this feeling.

Hinata had tried her best, in the beginning. She hadn't wanted people to worry about her, the heiress. She was supposed to be strong for her clan, to support them. She was supposed to be the backbone. She wasn't supposed to be suppressing tears, or placing photos face-down, or hugging herself during funerals. No, she thought that was supposed to be made of tougher things; much tougher things.

Of course, this would be much easier if Kankurō were here to lean on, but he wasn't. Due to the entire ordeal, he had to go through formal physical therapy in Sunagakure. He could've done it in Konoha, but Gaara was going back to Suna. Injured or not, Kankurō was still his bodyguard, and so he had gone back to Suna. She didn't mind, because she knew of her own busy schedule—as the heiress of the Hyūga clan, she was required to represent the clan, along with her father, at every funeral being held in Konoha, which were only held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. And when she wasn't at the funerals, she had duties back at office to deal with—ANBU don't just go on missions; they also had documents to blacklist and file—and when she wasn't doing that, she was avoiding all human contact in her garden. She'd developed many newer healing concoctions, which she carefully labeled and stored away in her room for future usages. She was intent on keeping busy and avoiding people wherever possible, and it was working, to a degree.

If she avoided people, if they couldn't find her, they wouldn't see her crying. They wouldn't see her sobbing her heart out in the brush, against the house; they couldn't hear her constantly asking herself one question: _why. _Why had it been Sakura, and not her? Well, she knew why. But she felt guilty about the response. She saw the response as being her fault. She hated it, but she felt it was the truth. Sakura was dead because she had lived and loved. For a moment, she honestly considered that if she had known about it, Sakura's love for Kankurō, she would've put herself to the side and helped Sakura get him. Realistically, she knew she couldn't, it would be too painful on her, losing Kankurō. Knowing the reality only made the pain worse.

Sakura was dead, and it was her fault.

* * *

"Where's Hinata?"

Hanabi and Hiashi both blinked at the same time, looking up from their respective breakfasts to stare at Neji. Though he had absolutely no reason to understand, or even know about, Hinata's absence from the breakfast table; they had both spent so much time getting use to the fact that she became increasingly exclusive that they didn't think twice about the fact that she wasn't there. To them, it was a stupid question for Neji to ask, even if it did make sense for him to ask it. Neji looked between his two relatives, growing confusion evident on his features. He'd spent two months away from their table, spending more time at home, or with Tenten, or with Lee and Gai, or even all three of them together. He hadn't had the time to sit and eat with them.

"Why do I feel like the village idiot?" he grumbled, taking the grilled fish from the center of the table and placing it onto his own plate.

"Hinata hasn't eaten breakfast with us since before she was hospitalized before the war," said Hanabi, taking a bite from her bowl of steamed plain rice. "She comes down, takes a slice of bread or two leftover from whenever, and maybe some fruit, and then goes back upstairs. I don't know what she does for lunch and dinner. I hardly ever see her around the house anymore."

"Is she starving herself?" asked Neji, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I see her when she comes down. She looks to be the same weight as before," said Hiashi, shaking his head. "She looks healthy." He sighed. "You can go and try to get her up, if you want, but she's probably still in bed, and I've personally learned not to try anymore. She's quite vicious, I've found, when she just wakes up."

"Vicious?" Neji said, confused.

"She kind of overreacts," said Hanabi, giving a small smile. She jerked her head towards the stairs. "You're welcome to try it. I'll watch your food for you, niisan." She popped more food into her mouth. "Have fun with it, Nej. And don't forget, running is always an option."

Neji felt a cold sweat run down his neck, and he turned his immediate attentions back to his food. He was a late sleeper and was a grouchy person upon waking up first thing in the morning, but he knew that his grouchiness had nothing on Hinata's. She was actually quite scary waking up if she wasn't approached right. He avoided going into her room first thing in the morning now. "I'm okay," he tried to say lightly, pouring himself a small cup of the green tea that had been freshly brewed that morning.

Hiashi smirked at his youngest daughter for a second before getting up, wishing them both a good day and leaving the table in order to take care of business. Hanabi's own smile slipped the moment he was out of earshot, turning to her cousin. "Hinata's probably not sleeping up there. Otousan just lied to you. She's reading mail from Kankurō. They have two hawks that they send back and forth between each other. They correspond as quickly as possible, which means they each get a new letter within two to three days."

"Stop," said Neji, putting down his cup, "How do you know that?"

"Easy. I took one of the hawks once and read the letter." She shrugged, as if she wasn't invading anybody's privacies. "It doesn't matter. The point is, Hinata is depressed. Majorly depressed. And Otousan is not sure what to do about it, since Hinata is really independent, so he's trying to give her space to deal with her own issues, so he tells people that's she's sleeping."

"But what do you think?" asked Neji, deciding to go straight to the point of Hanabi's tale. He knew she wanted him to do something for her, and he would be a lot more civil about it if she just told him what it was and got it over with.

"I think she needs to be pushed a little. Not a lot, but a little bit. Just a teeny bit," said Hanabi, emphasizing her words by making the 'just a little bit' sign with her hand. "Usually, I wouldn't get involved, but it's not just her that's feeling this way. It's Naruto-sensei, too, and I know that Sasuke feels the same way, and so does Shikaru, and so does Shizuka; and even some of your other friends, Neji. They're all kind of avoiding human contact, and they're like… they're shells of themselves, all of them. They're living, but they're not, really. And it's all because Sakura died." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I just want my friends back are all, Neji. I want my friends back the way they were."

Neji sighed. "War changes people, Hanabi. What if these are the people that war has made them to be? You can't just go back to the past; that's why it's the past."

"I know," Hanabi responded, "And I guess what I meant wasn't that. What I meant was… what I meant was is that I just want them all to be happy again. I want Nara Shikaru to come up to me and make fun of my height and accept my stupid challenges, even when he doesn't want to. I want Uzumaki Naruto to yell 'Dattebayo' in the middle of training and take us to Ichiraku ramen, even when we bitch and moan about wanting something different. I want to hear Uchiha Sasuke make disparaging comments towards Naruto and make him feel like an idiot." Tears dripped down her face, and Neji was sure she didn't even know it was happening. "But, most of all… most of all, I just want my sister back, Neji. Damn it all, I just really want my sister to come back to me. I want her to smile at me, to give me advice whenever I don't want it, to act like my mother whenever I don't want it, to help me whenever she can, and to just be there for me whenever I really need it. I want my big sister Hinata back."

Neji watched his cousin, a frown settling on his face. Hanabi looked like she was in the most pain from all this, more pain than Neji thought she could feel. It wasn't that Neji thought that Hanabi wasn't human; it was because Hanabi was more predisposed to logical thinking and getting over things quickly. Not many things, that Neji had seen, bothered Hanabi for too long. For this to be one of them made Neji want to help Hanabi more. He wasn't sure if it was for his friends' sakes, or for hers, but they seemed to coralline at this moment. "Tell me how I can help you, Hanabi," he said softly.

* * *

"What does she want to do?" asked Temari, raising an eyebrow incredulously at the eldest Hyūga she knew, fixing her position in her seat so that she would seem less lazy. Of course, this new position was uncomfortable, so she fixed herself. Damned pregnancy. Only three and a half months along and the little brat inside of her was deciding to give her pregnancy pains. Frowning, she went back into the original position, placing a hand over her semi-bulging stomach.

"She wants to get your brothers to Konoha by tonight," said Neji, picking up the glass of water he'd been offered upon entering the Nara estate and taking a sip.

"That's what I thought. Does your cousin realize that she's bat shit crazy?" Temari asked with a chuckle, rubbing her stomach soothingly. A tabby cat padded its way from the small kitchen she shared with Shikamaru and leaped onto her lap, settling itself on her thighs. Neji expected her to toss the cat off, but to his surprise she began to pet it. "Shikamaru found him a couple of nights ago. He's been getting a lot of cats lately. I have no idea why, but it seems like I don't have to worry about feeding the little bastards. They're surprisingly self-sufficient; they're just incredibly spoiled when it comes to attention and affection. And they like to hog to covers when either of us are alone in the bed. I don't really mind any of them." A cat with black and white fur padded its own way to Neji, leaping and landing nimbly on the top of Neji's head. Frowning, he picked the car up, placing it on the couch besides him.

"Not a cat person, Neji?" asked Shikamaru, strolling lazily back into the small living room and flopping down on the couch next to Temari, earning a hard slap from his older, pregnant girlfriend.

"I tolerate cats, just not on my head," responded Neji smoothly.

"Makes sense. Why does Hanabi want Kankurō and Gaara in Konoha tonight? Why can't it wait a week or so?"

"I don't know, really. She hasn't told me very much, besides _get Temari to get Kankurō and Gaara here. _I really have no idea what goes through my cousin's mind, and I also have no idea why she insists on waiting until the last minute with anything that isn't a prank."

"I can't do anything to get my idiot little brothers here," she said with a sigh. "My ass is preggo. I'm not allowed out of Konohagakure, even less the Nara compound. Hell, Shikamaru's mom won't even let me boil water to make soups."

"In my mother's defense, last time you tried, you forgot to put the water in the pot and nearly burned down the entire kitchen," Shikamaru said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Apples, oranges," said Temari, waving off Shikamaru's point. "My point is, I'm not going anywhere. Tell Hanabi to mail Gaara or something, send a hawk. Maybe it'll get there within ten hours, if she's lucky, and maybe he'll rush and be here in two days. But I'm not going anywhere while his kid is in me."

Shikamaru frowned. "You say it like you don't adore the baby already. You've picked out clothes for them."

"I say a lot of things that sounds like I don't like something. Have you not heard me talk about you?" She smiled sweetly and craned her neck, kissing his cheek.

"Nothing?" asked Neji, trying to remain on track and not be jealous of them. He wanted to be spending time with Tenten, but he wasn't getting to do that. No, because he had pre-adolescent female cousins to help out with doing God knows what instead of spending time with Tenten.

She sighed. "I mean, they could flicker here, but they don't know. That means I'd have to go there, tell them, and come back with objects they've imprinted their chakra upon so they can come here. I don't want to expend any chakra; because I read somewhere that it runs a risk of the baby coming out deformed or injured. I don't want that for my kid." She gave him a sad look. "Neji, I really want to help you, but Shikamaru's mom is right in the fact that with my profession, anything I do can run the risk of my baby being harmed."

Neji began to nod, but found himself distracted when the front door suddenly opened. Aburame Shino walked in, his facial features hidden behind his usual garb as he made his way into the room, nodding respectfully at the three shinobi already in the room.

"Don't you ever knock?" muttered Shikamaru, crossing his arms over his chest. "Even I'm not lazy enough to forgo knocking."

"Why do I have to knock when Temari has already given me a key?" he asked with a shrug, obviously not caring if he had freaked out Shikamaru. "Besides, you should be used to me coming in by now. I'm here nearly every day, Shikamaru." The pineapple-haired male in question groaned out something like 'don't even remind me', settling back in his couch as Shino managed to convince the cat to get off of Temari's legs so she could get up.

"Oh, Shino!" said Temari, eyes wide as she sat upright. Shino blinked, raising an eyebrow at the girl. "Shino, don't you still have some of your bugs in Suna, with Gaara?"

Shino frowned behind his clothing. He really didn't like it when people called his kikaichū _bugs_, but it wasn't something he complained about anymore. "I believe so, if they haven't died yet. Sunagakure doesn't really have the ideal temperatures for my beetles to exist, really—"

"Yes, yeah, okay," said Temari, waving her hands and cutting the bespectacled male off, causing his frown to deepen. He also really hated being cut off mid-sentence. "Your chakra is in your bugs, right?"

"Yes, but again, I don't know if they've survived. Sunagakure doesn't the ideal environment needed for—" he began, only to be interrupted again.

"Can you use the Body Flicker, with your bugs, and go to Suna and convince Gaara and Kankurō to come to Konoha?"

"It's a possibility, but it still relies on if my beetles—"

"Great! Can you do it right now?"

Shino sighed, giving up on trying to get a word out. Sometimes he thought that Temari cut him off in order to get a rise out of him. She was very difficult, and a small part of him wondered why he was still friends with her, even after the war. _Because Hinata likes and trusts her, and she really isn't that bad, besides the fact that she interrupts a lot, _he reminded himself, doing his best to shake off his annoyance. He wasn't going to try and say that Suna wasn't an ideal place for his beetles again. He wasn't going to doubt that they weren't alive. "I'll do my best," he said simply, bringing his hands together in the tiger seal and disappearing from the room in a puff of smoke.

Neji stared at her. "What the hell was _that_?" he sputtered, eyes wide. The last time he'd seen such manipulation, he'd attended a political conference with his uncle. Temari merely smiled and bent over to kiss Shikamaru on the lip, giggling at his stunned look. "I'm gonna go take a nap. Why don't you and Neji spend time together, maybe go get Suigetsu to join the mix? He's a very lonely guy." With that, she sauntered off, not caring one bit about the stunned look on both boys' faces. "Whatever it is that Hanabi's planning tonight, I hope it works out."

Neji gulped, allowing a shaky breath as soon as Temari was out of view. He didn't even care that the cat settled itself on its head. He just hoped that out of every woman Tenten might pick for her Maid-of-Honor, it would just not be Temari. With her skills with manipulating men, if she was planning everything, Neji had no doubts that she might convince Tenten to get him handcuffed to the bed by the end of their wedding night.

"I think I need to go drinking," said Neji finally.

"Ditto. Let's go get Suigetsu and get drunk," said Shikamaru in agreement.

"Don't get drunk!" yelled Temari from the bedroom.

Shikamaru sighed. "I used to make fun of my father for being with temperamental women. Now I'm in the exact same position as him. Now I understand why my father prayed that he would never have a daughter. I'm afraid to have another girl just like Temari," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I still say we go for drinking. I'll just do my best to cut off." Neji shrugged.

"Keep track of my idiot, Hyūga, or I'll kill the both of you!" said Temari cheerfully. Neji shivered. He had some weird friends; some very weird friends indeed. Worst part was… these two weren't even his weirdest friends. He sighed.

"I will," he said tiredly, picking the cat off from atop of his head and standing up. He was sure there was cat hair all over his head. Shit.

* * *

When Shikaru was nine, Shikamaru took him to his relaxation place. They had sat, side by side, until the beginning of the sunset, completely untouched by the world as it passed by them by. Shikaru didn't know why Shikamaru did it, why he showed him the place, but he was appreciative that it had happened. Whenever he had a real problem, he would go there, mostly because none of his friends knew about its location. He would lie on his back and stare up at the sky for hours on end, without chancing any sort of interruption.

Of course, what he _thought _would be the reality actually wasn't; much to his dismay. He sighed in disappointment at the fact and allowed his eyes to slide shut. "Why are you here, huh? Felt like stalking your missing friend today? Are you working for Hanabi?"

"I'm not completely working for Hanabi," said Shizuka with a sigh, finishing walking up the stairs and sitting down besides his friend, bracing his arms against the seating and leaning back on them, looking up at the sky rather than at Shikaru. He didn't know why he'd come to look at the sky today, of all days. It was rainy and miserable. Not one speck of sunlight in the sky. "I am curious, though, why you're avoiding her. You know you're just pissing her off."

"It's better this way," he said noncommittally with a sigh, sitting up and pulling down the zipper on his track jacket. "It's better for her, if I just stayed away. One day, she'll understand it, and maybe she'll thank me for it, for keeping her safe…"

"If this is your definition of 'keeping her safe', then you and I have very different definitions of the word, my friend," said Shizuka, playing with the strap that crossed over his chest and kept his brother's katana on his person. Tsunade had told him to keep it close, at all times, and try to limit its usage whenever possible during sparring or general fights in which he'd have to utilize chakra. He had no idea why she wanted it, but he just adhered to what he was told. It wasn't like it was killing him, so why not? "To me, your feigned negligence towards Hanabi is the same thing as hurting her physically."

"At least she doesn't end up with a hole through her body from ignorance," spat Shikaru without thinking. Upon realizing what he'd said, and whom he'd said it to, his eyes widened, and he bit his lower lip. He wasn't one for lashing out verbally, especially not to his closest friends. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."

"It's fine. It's only a human reaction," responded Shizuka with a small smile. "And you're right; she doesn't. But that doesn't mean the pain isn't any different." He licked his lips. "I know you kissed her, Shikaru." Shikaru blinked and looked at his friend. "I know that you think that you wanting to be with her will get her hurt in the long run. I get it, and I think you're right. All love seems to do is hurt people. But… but do you think that trying to deny it's even there will make love hurt less?"

"It does hurt, but we're young," said Shikaru with a dry throat.

"It's not just some school crush. I've seen you, looking at her. What you have is something that not many people get. You should capitalize on it, not try to ignore it. What's better for her doesn't make it necessarily the right thing." Shizuka sighed. "I dunno. Maybe I'm just your stupid mutual best friend and teammate. Maybe because I feel some sort of sick pity or kinship—I can't tell the difference anymore, for the life of me—towards you two, I feel the need to try and help with your feelings or something. I really don't know anymore. But I know that our team is breaking. We won't be complete for very much longer. I'm going to the Sand, with Gaara. We all know that you're going with Naruto-sensei, and Hanabi's gonna go with Sasuke. We only have a few months left. We need to make the most of them." He stood up and moved to leave.

"You stalked me here, and that's all you have to say?" asked Shikaru softly, turning his attentions back to the cloudy sky.

"I don't know what else to say, honestly," Shizuka responded, not turning back to his friend. "Besides, I promised Genma I'd meet him at the hospital site to help him rebuild a wing he was assigned to. He's really become my family again." Shizuka smiled gently. "I guess all I have left to say is that Hanabi wants you to come to the memorial site tonight, after dinner. I don't know if you'll come, but if you do… wear something that isn't black. Hanabi said that she will 'murder anyone who wears black using a used chopstick'. I can't make this up if I tried."

"That sounds like her," whispered Shikaru without thinking, earning a glance from Shizuka.

"Please come, Shikaru. It would mean a lot to her, to be able to see you. She misses you, more than she lets on even to me," he said, his dark eyes softening for a second before returning to their guarded look. "I'll see you later, my friend." He walked calmly down the stairs, ignoring Shikaru's look of nervousness and uncertainty.

_Dammit_. There went his serenity.

* * *

In the Hyūga house, there was one unspoken rule. _Never, _even if your life depended on it, bother the heiress while she is in a foul mood. The members of the household had learned early on in her childhood that it was better to let her wake up on her own when she was saddened by something, or irritated about something. Hinata was, and always had been, a violent person upon waking up. Thankfully, these moments were few and far between, but when they were around, no one was happy. In fact, they made sure to steer clear of her bedroom and her garden completely, and they did their best to dissuade other people from going near her.

So when Hanabi blatantly ignored the warnings and charged forwards, the other Hyūga clansmen decided that, rather than seeing the girl's dismemberment, to find other things to do outside the clan house. It was startling to see the entire compound almost completely cleared of Hyūga in a matter of seconds—in fact, Kō was almost sure that this was the first time something like that had happened at all.

"Hanabi," he said in a warning voice, stepping in front of his young niece and placing a hand on her small shoulder. She raised an eyebrow, pale lilac eyes lit with light amusement and confusion alike. "Stop and think about this. Hinata sleeps with a sword by her bedside. She carries poisoned senbon needles in her thigh holster instead of shuriken. She's in an elite group of shinobi. What the hell do you think will stop her from gutting you?"

"Don't make me knee you in the groin, Kō-san," said Hanabi with a tired sigh. "I have a lot to do today, and I hardly have the time for this. You guys need to stop tip-toeing around Hinata." He pushed Kō's hand off of her shoulder. "This is for her own good, Kō, I swear. She won't harm me."

Kō raised an eyebrow. He could bring up a specific point about the things Hinata had done in the past, but that would be bringing up classified and sensitive information, neither of which he, himself, was supposed to know. Left with nothing, all he could do was sigh and move to the side, allowing the stubborn girl to continue forwards in the direction of Hinata's private garden. "Hanabi-chan," he said, rubbing the back of his head and turning away from his niece as she turned around to look at him. "Give Hinata a little bit of a warning first; let her know you're there." It was the only way he could think of to keep Hanabi from knowing that Hinata wasn't doing any gardening, but crying. He'd known about it for a while—he was actually the only Hyūga who'd dared to look upon her with his Byakugan—and he'd done his best to keep it to himself. He was trying to let her handle her own problems, without interference.

Hanabi's brow furrowed, but she said nothing in argument, simply nodding. It sounded fair enough. She fisted her hands tight, biting her bottom lip and surging forwards, her nose following the scent of mint and lavender. The two plants were regularly found in Hinata's tiny garden, and she used them frequently in her creams to please her sense of smell. They were, by far, the strongest smell, as they were in highest populace, and also right by the entrance to the garden. Biting her lip, she entered the tiny greenhouse, stopping just inside the doorway. She could count the amount of times on one hand that she'd been inside Hinata's greenhouse. Each time was a fresh new experience. "Hinata-neechan," she said in a soft, yet loud voice. "Hinata-neechan, where are you?"

There was a shuffling sound. "I-I… I'm here," said Hinata in a soft voice, softer than Hanabi was used to hearing from her sister anymore. "I'm busy, though… Hanabi." Hanabi could tell that wasn't what Hinata really wanted to say, but she chose to leave it alone. "Just tell me what you want, and…" she trailed off. Hinata really was trying to keep conversation at a minimum. She really was trying to avoid human contact.

Hanabi couldn't have that.

"Right," she said, clapping her hands together and going into the greenhouse, turning the corner and managing to pounce on Hinata, whose back was turned away from her. She wrapped her arms around her sister, placing Hinata under a headlock. Hinata howled and immediately bit into Hanabi's arm, making the younger girl yelp in pain and letting go.

"Go away!" Hinata yelled at her, not turning around.

"No! I'm sick of this! I want my sister back!" Hanabi yelled back, holding her bleeding arm. She grabbed Hinata by her upper arm, yanking at her sister and pulling her roughly to her feet, whipping her around. She bit her lip upon realizing why Kō had wanted her to give Hinata a heads-up before entering her garden—she'd been crying, and she was using the garden to hide out while crying. Hanabi released breath she had no idea she was holding, her pale lilac eyes closing. "Don't cry, neechan," she whispered. "You have no reason to cry."

"B-But… but Sakura…" Hinata bit her lip and looked up at the glass roof. "Sakura's dead… because of me…"

"Sakura's death had absolutely nothing to do with you. There was nothing you could've done about it, Hinata," Hanabi replied with a hard tone. She had no sympathy for the pink-haired girl.

"I… no… she died because of me," Hinata insisted, tears beginning to drip down her face afresh. "She… I'm only here because she's… she's dead." She hung her head, seemingly ashamed. "She was killed because of me! Her punishment was supposed to be my own." She bit her bottom lip. "They gave her my punishment; my fate." She touched a hand to her heart. "It's me who's supposed to be dead."

"No, you're not!" yelped Hanabi, placing her hands on her sister's shoulders, gently shaking her. She didn't know what Hinata was talking about, but what she did know was that her words were scaring her greatly. She didn't want to picture her older sister dead, nor did she want Hinata to even think about it. "Sakura made her own fate. You'll never be able to change that, and none of it was your fault. Not a damned part of it was your fault!" She pulled her older sister into a tight hug, squeezing tightly. "None of it was your fault, Hinata! None." If possible, she tightened her grip. "It's not your fault, Hinata. Please believe me. It's not your fault."

Hinata broke finally; ignoring what her head told her to do and broke down in her little sister's arms, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Stop it," Hanabi grounded out, placing her forehead against Hinata's shoulder. "Stop it. Stop being sorry for things you can't control, Hinata. You're not a god; you can't control every damn thing that happens. Just stop trying to handle it by yourself, okay? Please? We're family. Family bears burdens together. You can _always_ tell me what's wrong. _Always_. Otherwise… how else are we supposed to survive, if none of us can tell each other anything?" She felt Hinata nod, and she sighed with relief, but refused to let go. She knew, as well as she knew as the sun shined and that the sky was blue, that Hinata would need this more than anything, and she was intent on giving her this moment.

* * *

"Sasuke. You're off-focus."

The Uchiha heir blinked and snapped his head towards the man speaking to him. Itachi blinked as well, surprised that he had really caught Sasuke off-guard. It wasn't that he hadn't before in his life; it was just that he expected that when Sasuke got older, it would get harder and harder to catch him not focusing. _Though_, he figured, _I really shouldn't be surprised. It's all too easy to catch him off-guard nowadays. _Itachi put down the pen he was writing in, focusing all of his forward attention on his younger brother.

"What's wrong?"

Sasuke blinked again. _Is it seriously that easy for him to lose focus? It's like he's got the attention span of a squirrel, _Itachi thought humorlessly. "What do you mean?" Sasuke asked with a cough, fixing his position in the chair positioned across from Itachi, on the other side of the desk. They both knew they were on the wrong side of the desk. Where Itachi was sat was supposed to be the clan leader's side, so technically speaking, Sasuke was supposed to be sitting there. But for some reason, Sasuke had been adamantly against sitting there—probably because it was where their father. It was soberly ironic, that the murderer of Uchiha Fugaku was sitting in the place that he once sat, and that the heir of Fugaku refused to take his rightful place.

"Well, I was talking to you about repairing the eastern wing of the clan house," Itachi said slowly, "And you had started a good idea… only to then you stopped mid-sentence. Then I had to call you a couple of times in order to regain that attention. You don't lose focus that easily, Sasuke; so either you're tired, you're sick, or you're an imposter; all of which deduce something is wrong. So, I repeat: what's wrong?"

"If I was an imposter, wouldn't you have already trapped me with your Mangekyō, or, at the very least, killed me?" asked Sasuke, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, so you're not an imposter. You got the order correct on my reactions," said Itachi with a humorless chuckle and a small half-smile before it fell off of his face in the next second. "But Sasuke. Seriously. What's wrong with you right now?"

Sasuke sighed and looked past Itachi, biting his bottom lip. "I guess… I really don't know." He closed his eyes. "Grief. I feel grief right now," he quantified, leaning his chin on top of his knuckles.

"Grief because of what happened to your friend—Jūgo, I believe his name was?" asked Itachi, raising his eyebrows.

"Not just him. For him, I feel guilt and grief. I think I've actually learned to live with that, though it does freak me out sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night because I think I feel his blood on my hands," said Sasuke in a shaky rush, his onyx eyes opening somewhat, concentrating on the edge of the desk. "But it's nothing I can't handle—same with what happened with Sakura. I mean, I do feel grief about what happened with her, I guess, but I just can't feel guilty about that, for some reason. I've justified that in my mind; that she deserved what she got. I'm sad she's gone, but I'm hoping she found peace or something."

"Then what is it?" Itachi asked, leaning forwards.

"It's… it's something a lot different," said Sasuke slowly. "I guess… I feel, as the heir… that I'm unworthy of becoming it." Itachi blinked. _Seriously? _"I appreciate it greatly, but I… it's not fitting of me." Sasuke bit his lip again. "The heir… he's supposed to be strong. He's supposed to be a natural leader, a smart leader, and… he's supposed to have a strong wife."

"We can always find you a strong wife," said Itachi quickly, trying to appease his little brother.

Sasuke gave a dry laugh. "No. You misunderstand me, Itachi. I said I'm _supposed_ to have a strong wife… I never said that I want a strong wife, nor did I ever say that I wanted a wife at all." Sasuke's eyes found Itachi's unreadable ones. "Do you hear where I am going with this, niisan? Or am I just going to have to come out and say it fully?"

Itachi leaned back. "So it's that kind of problem, hmm?" he asked, a smirk growing on his face before he finally broke down, laughing in the face of his brother's seriousness. "I-I'm sorry; I… just can't…" he laughed, hitting the desk. "Shit, Sasuke, I thank you for that."

Sasuke frowned. "What the fuck?" he asked. "Itachi, I'm not joking. Why are you laughing?"

"Because it's funny!" said Itachi with a wide smile, spreading his arms wide. "God, Sasuke, do you think I'm some sort of idiot? Did you think that I wouldn't figure it out by myself that my little brother is _gay_?" Itachi chuckled a little. "Sasuke, I always assumed it was the most obvious thing in the world, that you were gay. I've known it since you started at the Academy. So did Otousan, and so does Okaasan." Sasuke's eyes widened more at that. "In fact, when you mentioned the wife thing, I honestly was kind of thrown through a loop. Sorry, but you and women have _never _crossed my mind."

"How could you have known since I was six or seven that I was gay?" asked Sasuke, mouth gaping.

Itachi cocked his head. "_Sasuke_," he said, making a _tut-tut_ sound, "Uchiha men are born with a heavy sex drive. It's evident early on what our preferences are. You presented absolutely no interest in women, but we saw your interests piqued by the presence of men. We even went to the Hyūga in order to make sure that what we figured was going on inside your body really was going. Don't worry, it was a man who looked at you, and he was also a pediatrician." Sasuke blushed, finding the reassurance to not be anywhere near reassuring. "None of us were bothered by it, Sasuke, trust me. None of us cared."

"Shouldn't you care? Shouldn't it be a scandal to have a gay clan leader?" asked Sasuke.

Itachi shrugged. "Sasuke, honestly; who the hell cares? Sure, some will judge, but they're idiots. Their opinions have no difference on your natural ability to lead this clan. I have complete faith in you, and so does the rest of the clan. They all adore you. They would follow you until their dying breaths. They would follow you regardless of your preferences, as long as you have no interest in engaging in incestuous activities."

Sasuke turned beet red. "Hell, no!" he yelled out, black eyes wide. Itachi laughed again at Sasuke's expense. He still couldn't get over that Sasuke really thought _his _older brother was that blind. It was so _obvious_.

"So, you're just feeling grief about being gay?" asked Itachi as his laughs died down once again. Sasuke sighed and nodded, and Itachi smirked. "Well, I'm glad we've cleared the air on that one. Just don't let Okaasan know that you honestly thought people would care about you being gay—she would kill you for being so stupid." A crow flew in through the open window, landing on Itachi's shoulder, its caw interrupting the brother bonding moment. Itachi raised an eyebrow, moving his hand to run his fingertips along its beak. "What is it?" The crow cawed again, raising its leg and showing the small parchment attached to it. Itachi pulled it off quickly, allowing the crow to fly off.

"I've never seen a messenger _crow_ before," said Sasuke, raising his own eyebrows as Itachi opened the small parchment.

"It's specific to the four noble clans of Konoha," Itachi explained, reading the small slip of paper. "No one attacks or goes after crows. They're seen as bad luck to get near." Itachi sighed. "It's from your little Hyūga student, Sasuke. I think her name was Hanabi?" Sasuke blinked and held out his hand for the parchment, which Itachi had no problems handing him. "It says something about you going to meet her to do something?"

Sasuke frowned. "I had no idea about this. She kind of sprung this." His brow creased. "And she wants me to pick up the dobe on the way?"

"Dobe?" asked Itachi, confused.

"Naruto," Sasuke specified, remembering that Itachi wasn't as familiar with their nicknames. "She wants me to bring Naruto with me. Knowing him, he's probably elbows-deep in a bowl of ramen. It'll take me hours to drag him away from Ichiraku once he gets that involved." Sasuke got up, pocketing the parchment. "I'll have to cut this little… whatever the hell it is short, niisan. I have to go drag a blond idiot away from ramen." Itachi nodded absent-mindedly, not truly thinking about his brother's words. No, the eldest Uchiha was thinking about something else entirely.

He was wondering if people thought that Sasuke was interested in Naruto. Sure, they would make _sense_, but Itachi could plainly see that it was not the straight-as-a-rod Uzumaki his younger brother had interests in. He smirked. He remembered back to Sasuke's failed attempt to destroy Konoha a few months back. He had made it back to Konoha, in fact, to watch and see how Sasuke would approach destroying the village. He was sure he was the only one who saw that Sasuke stopped Suigetsu from killing Inuzuka Kiba, and furthermore, he was sure that he was the only one who noticed Sasuke crouch down beside the dog-nin's unconscious body, while his annoying oversized mutt barked incessantly at him; in order to stroke Kiba's tattooed cheek. No, it was obvious who Sasuke was interested in, so painfully obvious. After all, Sasuke stopped the attack on Konoha right after he got Kiba to help and turned himself in.

* * *

Hinata hated the public baths with a passion. She felt so imperfect in comparison to all these women who were regulars to the baths. Her breasts were too big, her waist was too small, her ass was too wide—she could point out so many imperfections with herself when faced with these perfect women, these women with flawless skin and baby-softness. She had neither of those things. Her hands were covered with scars from childhood days spent using shuriken or sparring with her father, and the rest of her body was no different; though people couldn't really notice the pale scars on her equally pale skin. What mattered was that she could, and it bothered her.

What possessed Hanabi to tell her insecure sister to visit the public baths was beyond her, but what had possessed _her_ to actually listen to her sister was even further beyond her comprehension. But now that she actually was here, alone, she couldn't find a good thing about it. When she was younger, she had Shino and Kiba to keep her entertained and happy in the baths—her breasts had yet to develop, and none of the three of them saw each other in that sort of way—but now that she was older, she had to go to separate bathing areas.

_One hour. I promised one hour, _Hinata reminded herself with a sigh, rolling her shoulders. If she had any of her friends here, it would be a much different story. But Ino was busy with Sai, Tenten was busy doing… whatever Tenten did, and Temari was busy being pregnant and basically bedridden. The fact was that she was alone here; all alone and vulnerable, at that.

She was just thankful that all the women who had come before her had left by now. The bathhouse stayed open until ten, but it begun emptying out by seven thirty. She was glad. It allowed her to sit back up in the bath and truly relax in the embrace of the hot water. At least, she was until she heard the tell-tale patting of feet on the wet stones, headed in her direction. She immediately went back into her previous position: breasts pressed against her chest, legs crossed and pulled in as far as possible, and shoulders hunched. She knew it made herself look uglier than she already was, but she really didn't want other women to give her _those looks_. She hated those looks, those looks that picked her apart. They irritated the shit out of her.

The person stopped right over her head—she could tell, she could see their shadow hanging over her. They had an obvious masculine build, something that surprised her—she _was _in the women's bath, right? "Excuse me, but I'm looking for this confident, sexy girl I'm dating," said the man in that familiar husky voice as he crouched down low, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was told she was feeling sad and needed uplifting, so I kinda ran here. But I can't seem to find her anywhere—" She whirled around, realizing after a few moments who was speaking to her, a red blush touching her cheeks as she self consciously tightened her grip on her chest, despite the fact that he'd seen it before.

"It's the _women's bath,_ perv!" she gasped, lightly smacking his upper arm. The pervert in question simply grinned cheekily at her, obviously not caring what he'd infiltrated.

"Well, I missed you too, baby," he said happily, sitting at the edge of the bath and pulling off his robe, making her blush again and whirl around. Chuckling, he slipped inside the water next to her, not wasting time in pulling her into his arms and licking her earlobe. "And I know which bath I'm in. I did pay a lot of money to get this entire section bought out for an hour."

Her eyes widened, and she turned to him. "You did what?" she asked incredulously.

"You heard me. I bought out the women's section of the baths," he said with a smile. "Well, actually, Gaara bought out the women's section of the baths for me, because he's the one who gets the discounts… but that's not important." His smile slipped. "Hanabi, Shino, and Neji all got me here. Hanabi told me that you were in a worse condition than you were letting me know about. Hinata, you don't have to hide things from anyone… and especially not me." He pulled out the tie on Hinata's hair, sending it loose and making the ends hit the water. She frowned, looking around herself. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, but I love your hair out, _rabendārōzu_. I apologize, but I really couldn't stop myself." He played with the ends.

"I didn't want you to worry," Hinata said with a gentle sigh. "I didn't want anyone to worry."

"You should be happy that people worry about you, Hina," he replied, running his fingertips lightly along her neck after he finished playing with her hair. "It means they truly care about you. You shouldn't hide anything from the people who care about you." He leaned over and brushed a kiss on the edge of her lips. "Please don't bottle things up, Hinata." He moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her lithe frame and pulling her into him. "I'm sorry we weren't as close as we should've been, Hinata, so sorry. I had physical therapy, and I also have a duty to Gaara. I should be putting you first."

"Nonsense. You have a duty towards Gaara. He's your brother, and he's your Kazekage," she murmured, placing her head on Kankurō's shoulder and allowing her hands to roam free, running her fingertips along his scars, touching every part of her body under the water. Eventually, her fingertips found where Kankurō had self-amputated. The scars were still there, and still prominent, and she could feel where his skin ended and the artificial leg began. Kankurō looked down at the top of Hinata's head.

"Find it ugly?" he asked, smirking.

"No. I don't. I just can't believe that you lost your leg in order to save me." She bit her lip. "I can't believe a lot of things happen to people because of me."

He frowned, and placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to raise her head and look up at him in order to kiss her deeply. "None of it's your fault," he soothed gently. "Absolutely none. Nobody blames you. You did what you thought was the right thing to do, in order to protect the people you love from danger. Everyone knows this, Hinata. _Everyone_." He kissed her again, pulling her onto his lap, skin against skin. He kissed her neck, flicking his tongue against the warm, wet skin. "Exactly what do I have to do to prove it to you, love? Hmm? Do I have to make you feel better than I have so far?" Her breath came in small pants as he went lower on her skin, sucking and licking at odd intervals. "I mean, what do I have to knock down in order to prove that no one blames you? Do I have to do this?" She gasped, eyes wide as his fingers stroked her lower lips gently, making her face flush.

"I-I… you're…" She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We're… h-here…?"

"Of course here. And when I take you to my hotel room tonight. And also when you wake up tomorrow morning in my bed. And before you leave my bed for home. And, possibly, when you get home, if I can sneak in well enough." He licked her earlobe and sucked gently on it, his teeth brushing against the skin. "I have months to make up on, Hinata, with you. _Months_ that I _intend_ to make up." He went lower, kissing and sucking on the skin right below her ear. "If I can't convince you with words that no one blames you, then I'll do my best in this way." She opened her mouth to speak, but Kankurō's magical fingers stopped her from putting together all intelligent thought. She moaned out, closing her eyes and giving in, pressing her lips against the side of Kankurō's neck, her fingernails biting into the skin of his neck. "I don't see you arguing with that sort of initiative," he said with a small smirk, massaging her insides. Temari was right. Puppetry _did_ give him a skill with his fingers. He tried to ignore the fact that his sister helped out a lot in his sex life, though—it was awkward to think that she would be such a help to him. He removed his fingers, causing her to groan out in disappointment, before grabbed her by the hips, managing to enter her without the fumble of their first and second times.

"B-But… I didn't…" she murmured softly, her eyes half-lidded. He was sure she had more to say, but with a twist of his hips, it was like a blank slate. It was this moment that he probably loved the most about sex with Hinata—not the foreplay, not the physical act, but the fact that every little move he made opened up a new door with her. The ways she reacted still surprised him; shocked him. Nothing about it could get old. No, these reactions were always new, always fresh, and they were just amazing.

He was definitely looking forwards to the next twenty-four hours of convincing her that no one hated her.

* * *

**Okay, so you noticed how this chapter was extra long, right? That's because I added a bonus to it. This was a part of the original Chapter 43, but since I didn't like the way the chapter was turning out, I deleted it, but I liked its beginning enough to keep it. I wanted to share that beginning with you guys. **

* * *

"Your move."

Shikaru tore his eyes away from the Shōgi board to look his opponent in the face, curiosity in his features. "I still don't understand how you can play this game," he said, shaking his head as he moved his lance forwards two squares, taking his opponent's pawn and placing it in his pile of conquered pieces. "And I don't understand how you gave me two pieces in the beginning… and I'm still losing."

Shisui chuckled and moved his rook, capturing Shikaru's last lance and placed it in his steadily-growing pile. "I've been playing this game a long time, _musuko_."

"Yeah, but… I guess, but seriously? You're blind." He wanted to gesture to his father's eyes, which were wrapped with gauze instead of being covered with their usual sunglasses, but he knew that it would be a useless venture. After all, like he just stated, he was blind.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you how," said Shisui as Shikaru moved his pawn forwards one step, aiming to sacrifice his pawn in order to take Shisui's rook with his bishop, but Shisui didn't fall into his trap—instead he went and captured one of Shikaru's rooks. "You're a very good player, though, if I may say so." He smirked softly.

Shikaru shrugged. "I actually kind of suck. I've never beaten anyone besides for Shikaku-Ojisan," he admitted, chuckling and blushing. "And Hanabi, too, because she has no patience for board games," he found himself adding, which immediately caused him to clench his jaw shut. He had problems with speaking about Hanabi. He really did want to, but at the same time, he was afraid that if he recognized she existed, she might be put in some sort of danger. What type, he didn't know, but some type definitely.

Shisui smiled. "You talk about this girl a lot. Do you have a crush on her?" He face clearly showed his amusement with the situation. "Does my brat have a crush on a little girl?"

Shikaru blushed a deeper shade and looked away. "S-Shut it," he mumbled, moving the golden general diagonally forwards one space to his right. "I don't think we have the right relationship to be making fun of mine."

"Of course we do," said Shisui with a wide grin, moving his rook forwards so that it was one square to Shikaru's golden general's lower left, diagonally. "I'm your dear ole father, and you're my dear son. I've missed most of your life, and it's my job as your father to reinstall myself into it through whatever means possible." Shikaru rolled his eyes and captured Shisui's bothersome rook with his silver general. "So, tell me more about this Hanabi girl. What is she like?" Shikaru squirmed and bit his lip as Shisui moved forwards a space with his own silver general. "I can't 'see' her like you can _musuko_. Can you tell an old vagrant about your little crush?"

"Why don't you take the eyes?" Shikaru asked with a frown, trying to get around talking about Hanabi. "They have many. Uchiha-san told me. He also said that you keep refusing them. Why?"

He smiled. "I've lived for now nine or so years without eyes just fine. I don't believe know how to see if I get those eyes. I don't believe I want to see. I'll settle with descriptions… like the one you're supposed to be giving me." He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip. "So, again, can you tell your old vagrant of a father about your little crush on the Hyūga heiress' little sister? Spin me a tale."

He sighed. There was no way he was getting out of this, was there? "She's… she's…" He bit his lip. "She's like this beautiful thing to me. She's perfect, to me. I… she's…" He looked down at his hands. "She's true to her name. She's a firework. She's this beautiful piece of flaming art in the air that I'm not supposed to be able to touch. I don't want to put it out." He ran his hands nervously through his hair.

"Feeling guilty?" asked Shisui, sitting back with a frown on his face.

"Yeah," admitted Shikaru with a small, humorless laugh. "I… I nearly killed my best friend, right in front of her. I let myself lose control over myself; I let that _thing _loose, and it almost killed my best friend. Hanabi doesn't have that sword to keep her alive. She's not safe without something that'll keep her alive, not around me. I… I'm afraid of being the one who killed her. I don't want to be that man. I love her too much, Otousan… way too much to allow myself to destroy her like I destroy everything else." He sighed. "I'm a monster, through-and-through."

Shisui leaned forwards. "Monster is a little bit of a stretch. You don't exactly do it yourself, really. The person who does it lives in you. You're still that little boy that I call, affectionately, my son." He swallowed. "I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead," Shikaru murmured, looking down at his hands.

"Did your mother…" Shisui had a hard time just trying to say her name, but he couldn't let Shikaru see that. "…Did your mother ever tell you why your birth name was Obito? Why, out of any other name I could've picked for you in the entire world, I picked Obito?"

"She told me that I was named after your great brother, Uchiha Obito," Shikaru said, his brow furrowing.

Shisui chuckled. "I admit, that was originally why I considered the name, but no." He smiled. "That wasn't the reason why. I never gave her the reason why." His fingers ghosted over the play pieces. "One of my few memories of my older brother was watching him play Shōgi with my father. The two of them would always laugh when they played, so much so that they didn't even finish the game sometimes. I never understood why they laughed so much, and I never understood how Obito could so easily convince anyone who was around him to laugh at anything that was happening. It wasn't until Obito left my life that I finally understood how he could do it. Obito was an embodiment of hope, and hope is something that I feel can never die; just be transferred from person to person. He gave everyone he met some of that feeling.

"When your mother was pregnant with you, I worried endlessly about what you would be like, and what you would become. So often did the fellows of my clan fall into a curse of hatred, and with the Uchiha blood running through your veins I feared it would happen to you. Once you fall into the darkness, one cannot pull themselves back out. It's impossible, with the exception of Sasuke and Itachi. I didn't want my son to be hated by the village. I wanted you to live a happy life, one filled with love.

"The day you were born, I was the first person to hold you, after your mother, of course. We were both so young, but we could feel such a weight upon us. At that moment, I didn't care. I just wanted to give you all the love I could in that moment, in order to fight against the curse before there was the slightest chance of it ever happening. And then you opened your eyes. When you opened your eyes, I saw the most surprising thing for an infant. I saw so much affection in your eyes, so much gentleness, and it was shown when you wrapped your little hand around my finger and cooed for the first time. I think I actually cried that day." He smirked. "In you, I saw hope. I saw everything that my brother had stood for, everything that I thought the village had lost when we lost him. I named you Obito because when you gave me that look… I saw pure hope returning to the village."

Shikaru stared at him, gape-mouthed. "I… I…" he said before biting his lip. "I'm not... I'm not Obito anymore…"

"You are Obito. You are still Obito. I can't explain it for you, but you're still Obito. Even with your own problems, you are giving hope to so many people still. You are giving more care than one person, with your type of childhood, should know how to give." Shisui smiled gently. "Don't let your self-pity and guilt swallow you, my _musuko_. You're stronger than that. Go find your friends. I won't move the pieces at all while you're away. We'll continue our game when you get back."

Shikaru blinked. "How did you know about that?" he asked, dumbstruck.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere," said Shisui with a smirk as he stood up, picking up his warm cup of tea and padding inside. "I have to go speak with Itachi, anyways. Were you planning on staying the night here?"

Shikaru shook his head. "No. I don't want Yoshino-Obachan to worry over me by not coming home. But I will be back." Shikaru smiled and pulled on his sandals as his father shook his head and continued off, shuffling lazy down the wooden walkway. It wasn't until Shisui turned the corner and the sound of his shuffling was no longer heard by Shikaru's ear that he realized that not once, in these past few months of their bonding time, did his father call him by his name. He always called him 'my son', but not once did his father say 'Shikaru'.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Of Living

**God, this chapter took forever D: I thought I'd never finish this, but I did. I also might've-kind of-accidentally started a chapter for a possible sequel. It was supposed to be chapter 44, but it feels too different from 'Of Strength', so I'm thinking that I'm going to call 'Of Strength' quits very, very soon! I thought I'd make it to chapter 45, but I guess not... I'll work on an epilogue, maybe a bonus chapter of some point, but let's just say that this is basically the end (cries). **

**I can't stress enough how much I love reviewers. You guys make my days! :) **

**Thanks from Chapter 41 & 42: ****Yu Nguyen****: the end is near, darling, for this story. But don't fret. I'm working, I'm working ;) **

**leesa323****: not gonna lie, when you quoted something I wrote last chapter, I cried like a baby. I was having a really shitty day until that moment. And thanks for liking the OC's... they were hard guys to conceive. It makes me glad to hear people like them. **

**Darth Verity of Cybertron****: (because I didn't receive notification your review for chap. 14 'til now): hehe, no, she won't get pregnant that easily. I know it only takes once, but that would've been IMMENSELY cheesy:) **

**sailorangelmoon1****: Thank you much! **

**McKazekage****: Kiba is always kick ass :) and there was no way in HELL there was no happy ending! lol. And sorry for the confusion; I've fixed it now. And thanks for your praises on those moments... those were really hard moments to write! And I thought I'd made Itachi into some sort of asshole.. :D **

**And last, but not least... ****TheGirlWithNoIQ****: honestly, though, I didn't even realize that I thought up a lot of details when I made this up. I guess that's a testament to how much free time I have on my hands! lol. I'm glad you thought I did well with the bonus; I thought I maybe went a little overboard... but I'm glad to know it was just enough. **

**Warning: lemon in this chapter. Again. KankxHina moments are just too good to resist. FanFiction has corrupted me. Also, I don't own Naruto. **

**ENJOY!**

If Hanabi could wish for anything—anything at all—it would be to experience love like her sister could. No, that wouldn't be completely accurate—it would be to experience _life_, in general, better than anything else. Not to say that she was one of those jealous little brat sisters; she was anything but that. She knew that her sister deserved the life she had been given. Hinata had deserved the love she got from Kankurō, she deserved the appraisal of her family and friends, and she deserved the strength she had gained. Hanabi simply wanted the same type of happiness that her sister had, that was all. Nothing more.

Maybe it was a foolish, childish notion that everyone gets to happy, one for the young; for people who hadn't seen what she had. But, maybe, just maybe; a childish notion was just what she needed in her life. To be a child meant to be free, and freedom meant just that—freedom. It was something that everyone wanted to feel, but no one could figure out how. By pretending, just for a minute, that she was a child, Hanabi could also pretend that she felt free. She could pretend that she didn't have these bonds, these bonds that could only possibly come with being a ninja in her world.

But she deeply, sincerely and totally wanted to be happy. Happiness is not as easy a venture as it seems—it takes an effort. Happiness must be worked at, conceived, crafted, and repeatedly fixed. Happiness is something that needs constant maintenance, and those who truly want to call themselves happy work at it, such as Hanabi did. Though only ten and technically still in her childhood, Hanabi knew something that many didn't: one can never be truly happy if the people close to them aren't. It is impossible to even think of being happy when your friends, those people you care about and fear losing, is unhappy. It's almost mandatory to have happy friends, or to simply keep all your friends.

That's what Hanabi was planning on doing, with her idea. Though possibly stupid, she was intent on following through with it. She honestly didn't know what else to do, but she knew something needed to be done. She didn't want to lose that other family she'd managed to forge. She clung to it, tooth and nail. They were her closest friends—scratch that; her only friends. They were the only people whom she called her precious people. She would bend over backwards for them.

She would give up her life for them.

She bit her lip and played with the sky lantern, careful as not to rip a hole through the delicate material. She had nabbed a couple from a funeral her family had not too long ago, finding them interesting. She looked up at the dark sky, trying to find constellations that she knew the names of—which were, admittedly, very few. She really only knew about the Big Dipper, to be completely honest. The stars in the sky had never been, really, that big of a concern to her. She could really care less.

"Hanabi."

She didn't blink. She wasn't startled or shocked. Sasuke had taught her a lot about reading even the smallest of chakra signatures, and she was putting that training to use. She had known before he'd said anything that he was there. She absentmindedly patted the stone of the memorial next to her. "Come sit, Zuka-kun."

Shizuka sighed and did as he was told, not providing any argument as he took his place besides his best friend, his dark eyes trained on her small face. He followed her pale gaze upwards, looking up at the sky. "Since when have you been interested in the stars, Hanabi?"

"I'm still not," she responded shortly, placing her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his. "I just need something to stare at while I think is all, Zuka." She sighed. "Zuka, do you think I'm being stupid, getting involved in Naruto and Sasuke's privacies? Do you think they'll even come?"

He gave a soft smile. "Yeah, I think they'll come," he responded in his soft voice. "No, I don't think. I know they'll come."

"What about Shikaru?" she asked in a whisper of a whisper.

His smile slipped. "I… I don't know." How could he know? The topic of Shikaru was always a gray area, especially now more than ever. He knew as well as Hanabi that it was hard to tell where one's self was with Shikaru, even under normal circumstances. He was a hard person to read, and an even harder person to convince to open up. He still hadn't opened up completely to either of them. "I hope he does. I want him to."

"I want him to, too," responded Hanabi, handing Shizuka the paper lantern as she stood off of the memorial stone, tossing him a pack of matches. She stuffed her hands into her pockets, still looking up at the dark sky. "I'm scared of losing him, Shizu."

Shizuka sighed. "I am, too," he agreed, pushing off the stone and walking over to his closest friend, this girl who was responsible for shaping him into the person he was. He held up the lantern, examining it in the low moonlighting. "So, describe it for me, Hanabi. What is it that we're doing here, with these things?"

"Sky lanterns," said Hanabi with a light blush, biting her lip. "It's really stupid, actually. I don't know how I thought it would even resemble something close to a good idea." She picked up another paper lantern off of the ground, holding it as tightly as she dared. "A few weeks after Hinata got out of the hospital four years ago," she began slowly, "After the Chūnin exams, my father woke me, her, and Neji up in the middle of the night and brought us out here. He gave us each a lantern and told us to send them off, along with pent-up feelings that we might harbor. He knew that Hinata was miserable, and he did it to show her that there were people there for her. It was kind of like a mini-sendoff for those who didn't get one." She gave a small smile. "I guess I figured it would work. I dunno what I was thinking with that," she finished with a chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck.

Shizuka looked at her, curiosity in his features. "Show me."

"Eh?" she responded, confused.

He smiled gently. "I want you to show me. I want you to give me an example, Hanabi. Show me how it's done." He opened the pack of matches, holding one out for her. She frowned, not sure if he was trying to get at anything, and took a match out of the pack, striking it against the side of the pack and lighting the lantern, illuminating her face. "Do you just let it go?"

"Ah—no. No, you don't. Y-You say something," she said nervously, watching the lantern as if it would fly off at any moment.

"So say something," said Shizuka softly, smiling reassuringly at the younger girl. He squeezed her shoulders gently, knowing her uncertainty. "Go ahead. No one's here to judge you, Hanabi."

"I…" Did she have anything she wanted to say? Did she have anything that she was willing to let go of? If she did… what was it? "I don't know… I don't think I have…"

"Of course you do, Hanabi," said Shizuka, the flames of the candle flickering in his eyes. "Just relax. Breathe. You're in the company of people close to you. I won't tease or make fun of you. You can say anything you want—you can get anything you want off of your chest."

She bit her lip again. "I… I regret…" _Can I even say this? _"I regret that when the time came, I was useless," she said in a rush, her eyes widening with the admittance. "I regret that despite all my talk, I couldn't do jack shit to help you guys. You two ran out into the front lines, ready to give up your lives, and I just couldn't do anything to help. I regret that I couldn't fight against that other guy and protect you. I regret that all I could do was sit there and watch. I regret that I couldn't help you when you needed me to the most. I regret that I couldn't stop Shikaru from running off, and that I still can't stop him from running off."

"Hanabi," whispered Shizuka gently.

"I regret that I failed you, that I failed Naruto-sensei, that I failed Sasuke-sempai, that I failed my sister, my cousin, my village, my country… everyone! I couldn't do _anything_. I regret that I couldn't do anything to help. I regret trying my hardest to help you all, to help my friends and my family and everyone close to me! I regret that I still can't help you out."

"Hanabi," he repeated.

"I regret that I'm so much of a weakling that I couldn't help my friends!" she said, fully sobbing now. "I regret that all I could do was sit back and watch you guys risk your lives! I regret that I couldn't live up to the ideal of a shinobi!"

"Hanabi, let go," he whispered, squeezing her gently and bringing her back to reality. She let go of the sky candle, falling into a broken mess in Shizuka's arms, gripping him as hard as she could as she sobbed. She didn't even know she had all of that pent up within her, lurking below her surface. But now that she knew, it was wrecking her mind, shaking her up. She just couldn't pull herself together. Shizuka ran his long fingers through her hair, pressing her against him. "It's okay, Hanabi. None of it matters. It's all okay." She bit her lip, trying to hold down her sobs but finding herself completely unable to. They were overpowering her. They were just too strong.

A larger hand touched the middle of her back. "Damn, I didn't even realize that you had that much in you," said a familiar voice, making Hanabi's face turn red despite her tears. The familiar man ignored her obvious embarrassment, turning her around and pulling her into him. She buried her burning face in the warmth of the man's jacket, transferring her grip into his jacket.

Naruto smiled half-heartedly over at his other student. "I didn't see this coming when you prompted her," he muttered softly, rubbing her head. He jerked his head towards the leftover lanterns sitting by the rock. "You go, Shizuka," he muttered.

Shizuka nodded, striking a match quickly and picking up a sky candle and lighting it, holding it up high. He took in a breath slowly, trying his best not to be nervous. What had happened to him? Just a moment before he hadn't been all that nervous about this. "I… I'm regretful about…" he sighed. "I'm regretful that there was someone dying in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to help him. I regret that I couldn't do everything I had to help everyone, and I regret that in the end I became a liability. But… I hope this can change. I want this to change." He swallowed. "I will change this," he said dryly as he released the sky candle, watching it drift upwards towards the starry sky.

Naruto smirked, letting go of the now calmer Hanabi. "So you dragged me here to do this?" asked Naruto, walking over to the lanterns. "It is a little silly, isn't it?" He sighed and looked back at Hanabi, his blue eyes analyzing the younger girl. Though he didn't personally see the point of it, he picked up a lantern, taking the matchbox from Shizuka and striking one for himself, biting his lip. "I say shit out loud, right?"

Sasuke, who had been trying to remain silent, scoffed and rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Idiot. What do you think?" he asked sarcastically, earning a childish stuck-out tongue from the whiskered boy. Naruto flipped him the bird, turning his attention away from his annoying best friend and to the lantern. Surprisingly (even to himself) he knew that the sky candle ceremony was usually something that clans did, not civilians or general clan-less shinobi such as himself. He felt like he was out of place, holding up this candle, but the look on Hanabi's face told him to just suck it up and continue on, to admit anything he might have that makes him feel guilty and…

And he hadn't even realized he was talking until right now.

Nor did he know he was crying, too.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed, wrapping his free arm around his torso, his entire body shaking as it tried to keep everything in. His mind hadn't caught up with his mouth or his heart, and it was confused as to why he'd basically started sobbing until he spoke again: "I'm sorry, Sakura. Sakura, I'm sorry." _Shit. _Admitting he felt the utmost guilt about Sakura's death was the last thing on his mind. He wanted to remain stronger than that, and here he was. Crying over Sakura like a baby. Other Konoha shinobi were unforgiving of Sakura and glad she was gone, but him—he was distraught. He couldn't get it out of his head that she'd been executed for things that he figured to be his fault. He knew he should've gotten the punishment she got, and he couldn't help but wonder what would've become of her if someone had realized what she had been feeling and aided her in her moment of need. He couldn't help but think that she would definitely still be alive, still be happy; and he would still have his full world.

He knew that his thoughts were simply 'What ifs', but he also knew that he was actually scared to let go of the lantern. If he let go, he felt like he was going to be letting go of Sakura. Despite all she had done to him, the fact remained that Sakura was his first love, and one of his closest friends. She'd been there for him when Sasuke defected, and he for her. They had an indescribable bond, and even if she betrayed him; he didn't want to just let it go. He didn't want to let her go. Would she let him go, if this was happening in reverse? _Hopefully, no, _he thought, still sobbing. _Hopefully our friendship meant that much that she wouldn't… _"S-Sakura…" he cried out, falling to his knees, still holding the candle. "Why, Sakura?! Why'd you do this… why are you doing this to us? Why did you have to go?" He clawed at his chest. "Why did you have to leave this hole in me, Sakura?! Why?!" He closed his eyes. "Why couldn't you have told me what I could've done to help you? I was your friend, dammit; and I would've helped you with anything! Why couldn't you say something and let me help you? Why did you have to leave me in pain…"

"Naruto," whispered Sasuke, moving slowly to his friend's side and crouching down beside him. When he had dragged the blonde away from Ichiraku's by his ear, he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary, really. Well, of course, he was slightly dampened—his laugh wasn't as loud, and his eyes not as bright—but it was only to be expected; he'd lost a person he considered to be a sister. But he hadn't realized the extent of Naruto's emotional turmoil, and he could only feel like such a jackass of a friend for not noticing it. _How long has he been like this? _Sasuke wondered to himself, helping the broken Jinchūriki back to his feet. "Naruto… let go."

"I can't…" he sobbed. "She's… she's… I can't let…" He opened his watery blue eyes and looked at his best friend. "She's… f-family, S-Sasuke…. I don't wa-want her t-to be alone…"

"She made her fate, Naruto," said Sasuke in an uncharacteristically soft voice that had Hanabi and Shizuka both straining her ears. "If you hold onto her, you'll just be hurting yourself. It'll make everything worse, to bottle everything up within you. All you can do is let it out, let it be free, and then you can begin to heal. I learned that over the years. You taught me that." He swallowed, and he took some of the lantern into his own hand. "She was my family, too, Naruto. I hate it as much as you do, but I know it has to be done. We have to let her go, together. We, as Team Seven of the Rookie Nine, have to let our teammate and sister go. I can't let go of her without you, Naruto." He swallowed dryly. "Naruto, please. Let go of her."

"I-I…"

"Naruto, I've seen the depths of darkness that come from not letting go of passed loved ones. It's not a place I would let anyone I consider a part of my family go to. I refuse to let you see it. I refuse to let Sakura's punishment kill the good that is Uzumaki Naruto. I refuse to lose a friend to darkness, Naruto. I refuse to lose a brother to darkness." He gave his crying friend a shaky smile. "It won't be easy, but I'll be there. I'll help you, my brother. Let me help you right now, Naruto. Let go of Sakura."

Naruto sucked in a breath, his blue eyes snapping to the lantern for a minute before he let it go, allowing Sasuke to do the same. Naruto sighed shakily, still crying heavily as he watched his own guilt—and Sasuke's—float up into the night.

Hanabi watched the candles floating in the night sky, surprised that she could still see Shizuka's, much less her own. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, biting her bottom lip. While she was glad that Naruto, Sasuke, and Shizuka were all leaving behind their problems and frustrations, she was slightly disappointed that Shikaru seemed to have stuck to his strict regimen of avoiding her. She looked down at her feet, ready for a new bout of tears. _Doesn't he know what he's doing to me? _Hanabi wondered, clenching her fist. With her frustration, she forgot to pay attention to her surrounding chakra signatures, or her surroundings in general. She didn't notice that Shizuka, the only one not busy, looked up and smiled. Then again, neither did Naruto and Sasuke, either.

What they did notice, surprisingly, was the sound of a match being struck against the side of a matchbox. Their heads snapped up, their eyes all finding the same point, and were all surprised to see Shikaru standing there, a lit match in his hand; his dark brown eyes looking between the three of them with slight surprise in his features before he leveled his gaze at Hanabi, specifically. "I… I was invited, right?" he asked her, surprising her with his sudden willingness to speak to her.

Ever graceful, she nodded dumbly. He gave a small smile, and she knew he was amused by her idiocy, but she couldn't do a damned thing about it, much to her dismay, due to some of the surprise she was still feeling about him even being there. He picked up one of the remaining few sky candles, lighting it and holding it up in his hands. He closed his eyes and took a breath. "I guess I regret a lot of things," he said in a soft voice, "I regret the things I've done, and the things I've seen. My life is filled with regrets, ever since I was four, and there's just too many to list or even think about, but what I can think about is how much I hate having these regrets, this guilt, hanging on my shoulders; these regrets that can be explained with one word: _Shikaru_." Hanabi raised an eyebrow. _Where is he going with this? _

"My decision to let go of the person I was for Nara Shikaru was the worst decision I've ever made. It's brought me pain and regret, and it did nothing to stop people from wanting to use me as a pawn, as a weapon. I could not grow as a person as Shikaru, and that's why…" He swallowed. "I'm giving up the name. I'm letting go of my biggest regrets—I'm letting go of Nara Shikaru. I'm going back to the person I was, the person I've always been. I'm going back to Obito." He smiled widely, wider than Hanabi had actually seen before in her life, before he let go of the candle and opened his eyes to watch it float up into the night sky. "Good bye, Shikaru," Obito whispered with a wide smile, feeling a weight lift off of his chest. "Rest in peace."

* * *

"_Kurō_!"

Kankurō would admit, in the world of sex, he didn't really know much, but he knew one thing for absolute sure—he would never get over Hinata's outbursts when she was nearing climax. Something about it was so seductive; so sexy, and it was just the most amazing thing to hear. It didn't really matter what she was saying (though he did prefer her to say his name) but what mattered was that it was all for him.

Growling, he grabbed onto her thighs, close to her ass, and nibbled at her collarbone, speeding up his thrusts. "Uhm, babe," he murmured hotly, giving her a bite and then kissing it, licking it and making her moan and shiver. "You… feel amazing…" He let go of one thigh to tangle his fingers in her long dark locks, while he moved up the grip of his other hand and pulling up her leg, the skin of her thigh rubbing wondrously against the flesh over Kankurō's ribcage. She gasped out again, pressing her nails into his back and renewing her marks on his shoulders and along his spine and the back of his neck.

"I—I'm…!" Hinata murmured, a hot blush plaguing her cheeks as Kankurō became rougher with her, rougher than she really thought he could be, but oddly enough… she liked it. It didn't mean to say that she was developing into a hardcore sex fiend, but it was probably because Kankurō cared so deeply about her that he couldn't hold a lot back at this juncture, and she really didn't want him to right now. This felt _amazing. _Not one part of her went untouched by any part of him. He was incredibly thorough, not only caring about his pleasure, but about hers as well. He was making her feel like… like… oh, did it matter? The way he was making her feel, the way he was holding her, caressing her—it made her mind like slush, and she couldn't focus at all. "M-More…!" was all she could think to say, making her blush kick up even more.

He didn't respond with words, but he responded with physicality.

"A-Ah!" she moaned, her eyes widening. "I… Kurō—!"

"Hinata," he murmured, nibbling on her earlobe and hooking his arm under her knee and pulling more on it, giving himself a better angle and pleasing Hinata further. "I… you're amazing… you're just… so a-amazing… _fuck_." He reared his head up for a second, looking deep into her pale eyes, and then kissing her deeply, swallowing her moans. She pulled away when a particular twist of his hips had her seeing stars. "I… I'm…"

"_KURŌ-KOI!_" she screamed out, cutting him off. "I… I love you!" Kankurō smiled—this was also an amazing part. _Orgasm. _A moment of time when she just let herself be, when she didn't allow herself any second guessing. It made him proud to know that he had caused this moment for her, and prouder to know that he was the only one who did. With a few more thrusts, he found himself at the same point as her, feeling the most amazing release.

"Hina-chan," he said with a shiver before he collapsed on top of her, pressing against her hot body and kissing her shoulder. "Ah. Hina-chan… Hina_-hime_. I love you. So damned much. I love you." He licked and sucked at her neck, making her shiver again.

"You weren't kidding," she murmured tiredly, licking the shell of his ear and forcing him to shiver. "You really did mean that you were going to have sex with me when we came to the hotel room tonight." She draped her arms loosely around his body, her fingertips a nice relief on his hot, sweaty back. He chuckled and kissed a fresh hickey he had laid on her shoulder. He reached behind himself and pulled the blanket up and over their hips, dropping it unceremoniously around the center of his broad back. "That was… amazing."

"Thanks," he whispered, blushing lightly and kissing her nose. "I tried."

"You did pretty well for 'tried'," she said with a smile. "I thought you were exhausted after the springs, to be honest. I mean…" She blushed, and he held back his laughs. She could only be prolific to a point. "We, um… you…"

"Stop. You're going to give yourself a stroke," he said with a smile. "And, that… that was… a warm up." He licked her jaw before settling his cheek on the pillow underneath her head, her gentle breath tickling the skin of his face. "Do you want me to get up, hime…?"

"Don't you dare move, Sabaku," she grumbled, and he chuckled, wrapping his arms around the tiny girl underneath him, watching her face with half-hooded eyes. The love he felt for her was… indescribable in its amount. It was truly amazing, to him, to look at her face and feeling such emotions for a girl who wasn't of the Sand, a girl who had begun as someone who he had seen to be beneath himself; a girl who was the very personification of perfection to him. To him, she was beautiful, kind, loving, intelligent… and _strong_. She truly was the strongest person he'd ever met, and for some strange reason, this beautiful, witty, strong girl… she wanted him; and he'd be damned if he would let it go.

That was why he waited until she fell asleep to slip out of the bed, pulling the blanket up over her chest and quickly getting dressed, forgoing the facial paint and slipping on his sandals and locking the door behind himself, finding himself running on the rooftops in order to save time. He was apprehensive when he got to where he was going, but he knew that if he turned back, he'd be irritated with himself. He couldn't be hesitant or anything like that—he had a feeling that the person he was going see would feed on his fear. He couldn't afford to be fearful of this man, especially with the way he treated him.

_Fuck, if I die…_ he thought with a shiver, landing on his feet in front of the grand entrance, already painfully aware of the amount of eyes on him. He tried to ignore them, moving forwards through the entrance with his hands shoved into his pockets, doing his best to hide his irritation with the fact that they were watching him so closely. They couldn't all hate him that much, could they? Was it possible?

The glinting of a kunai in his peripherals told him that they could, in fact, all hate him that much.

"Stand down, Kurosaki," came the gruff order of Hyūga Hiashi. Kankurō's stomach rolled a little, but he managed to hide his unease as he made eye contact with his lover's father. He had the best of intentions when he had come here, but now he was none too sure of himself at all, especially since all he could see when he looked at Hiashi was his fist connecting with Hiashi's face. What the hell was he thinking, coming here? Logistically speaking, shouldn't Hiashi hate him for not only breaking his daughter's heart once, but for also punching him? What if he knew that he and Hinata were having sex? His eyes widened. Why hadn't he thought about that at all before coming here?

_It doesn't matter now_, he thought, clenching his fist, _I'm already here. _

"Hyūga-sama," said Kankurō, giving a small, respectful bow. If being the Kazekage's brother and bodyguard had done anything for him, it was that he learned how to treat people whom he wanted things from. Hiashi grunted under his breath—Kankurō's signal to stand upright again and continue on with his requests. "May I ask to have a private conversation with your lordship?" All Hiashi did in response was grunt and turn around—not technically a yes, but not a no, either; otherwise the Hyūga around him would've pounced like feral jungle cats. He followed after the older man, doing his best to keep his nervousness quelled down in the pit of his stomach with a constant reminder that what he was about to do was not going to result in his death—probably. Hopefully not. He quite liked his life…

"Speak, Sabaku," said Hiashi once they were in the privacy of his personal study, sitting down on the obscenely clean couch that looked like it was straight out of a furniture ad. Kankurō noticed that he spoke his family name with the utmost indifference, and Kankurō briefly wondered for a moment about if it was because he had punched him once, and therefore if Hiashi was simply trying to hold back his own need to punch him. Whatever it was, Kankurō decided to sit across from him anyways, as Hiashi had just indicated.

He didn't see the point in wasting his own time. "I've come to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage, Hyūga-sama," he said in a surprisingly even voice. _Good, he can't hear how much I want to screech like a little bitch, _he thought.

If it were some other girl's father, Kankurō knew enough that he would be flipping out by now; if the meetings in the Kazekage's office on Sunday mornings were any sort of indication. Hiashi, however, was nothing like those fathers. It wasn't just that he was a powerful clan head and a shinobi. No, it was because he was a pre-merger Hyūga that he managed his emotions so well. He didn't even blink, nor did he give any sort of indication that it might slightly bother him; what Kankurō was asking. If any innocent onlooker was around, they might think he was deliberating in his head calmly. But Kankurō wasn't an innocent onlooker. He was a shinobi, and as a shinobi he was a liar by trade (a damned good liar when he needs to be, in fact) and had been taught one key principle: read underneath the underneath. When body language is not present to provide factual evidence, then a shinobi must look some place else for the truth.

So he looked into Hiashi's eyes, and he found himself looking at his own slow, bloody, violent murder. He resisted the urge to shiver and did his best to remain calm. Yes, it definitely appeared that Hyūga Hiashi did not like him one bit.

"Why?" asked Hiashi in a seemingly calm, cool tone. In his mind's eye, however, he was picturing beating Kankurō to death with his own wooden appendage. It wasn't that Hiashi really hated Kankurō. He didn't love him, either, but it was perfectly natural for a father of two girls to like any male interested in them. He didn't like that Nara boy Hanabi was so infatuated with so much, either; but he respected him, like he respected Kankurō. He did respect Kankurō as a shinobi, and he accepted that his daughter was with him, but that didn't mean he was going to be happy when the day came for him to ask for marriage. All Hiashi could see was Hinata as a baby, cooing and pulling at the bottom of his robes, and all he wanted to do was protect her from everything under the sun.

It's a large step for a father to see their daughter as a child and then their daughter _with _child. He thought that he had a couple of more years before this point—after all, Hinata was only sixteen years old and had a career before her that he knew she would try to put first. He was expecting to reach his fifties before he'd have to come across this request. But here he was, forty-two years old, being asked by his teenaged daughter's boyfriend for her hand. If he _hadn't _been picturing bludgeoning Kankurō, something would be amiss.

"Because I love Hinata, Hiashi-sama, and I want to be with her. I know she's traditional in some ways, and I know she would want to be married to me," responded Kankurō hesitantly.

"Why _now_?" specified Hiashi, resisting the urge to grind his jaw. The obscenely protective father in him wanted to ask, _why ever_, but as a father who wanted to give his daughters happiness he decided to rephrase the questionnaire. "You and Hinata are eighteen and sixteen respectively. Can't you two wait a couple of more years; let your relationship grow more, reach adulthood?"

"We could, but I don't want to. I've loved Hinata for four years now. I've waited more than I wanted to ask this question." He swallowed. "With all due respect, Hyūga-sama, Hinata and I are shinobi. Shinobi aren't known for having notoriously long lives, and especially not those in ANBU like your daughter is, and not bodyguards to Kages; either. The longer I wait, I feel like I'll lose her to something far out of my control."

"You're still young, even for shinobi. I think you two could afford a couple of more years."

"You misunderstand me. It's not exactly like I'm planning to marry her tonight. That's just… well, retarded. It's highly illogical. But I want to get us started on that path, to being married. I can wait two years to marry her, or five, or ten. I have no problem with letting her finish growing up. What I have a problem with is waiting _until_ then to ask for her hand in marriage. I love your daughter too much to be patient with getting this process started, Hyūga-sama."

Hiashi sighed. There really was no deterring this, was there? "Does she know you're here?"

"No, sir."

He raised one brow. "You do realize that if she found out you came here without her knowing, she'll want castrate you, correct?"

"I wouldn't say castrate. Castrate is nowhere near as severe as what I think Hinata would come up with. But I do realize she will want hurt me, yes."

"Yet you're still here. Why?"

"Well, if we're engaged to be married, and if marriage means that she'll be required by law to spend the rest of her life with me to love and to cherish; I don't think that she'd want to remove any, um… _fun parts_, I think. Sorry, I didn't know quite what else to say." He gave a sheepish half-smile. Hiashi wanted to groan and cradle his now throbbing skull. He was torn between wanting to kill this man and wanting to make Hinata happy. In the very back of Hiashi's mind, it occurred to him that he was almost exactly like this with Suki's parents when he was asking for her hand in marriage, but he did his best not to think about it. He didn't want to see some similarities between himself and his daughter's boyfriend.

"Hinata is the heiress to the clan," said Hiashi seriously, "And she has many commitments that require her to give up any sort of semblance of a life she has for the good of both the clan and Konohagakure. These are commitments that she puts before her family, her life, and her love. And, if I'm not mistaken, you have commitments of your own to your own country and family. You are, after all, brother to the Kazekage, his bodyguard, and probably the one who would succeed your brother via the vote of your people. Not only that, you're the leader of the growing puppeteer squadron in Suna, if I'm correct."

Kankurō chuckled. "You have done homework on me."

"I'm thorough with the backgrounds of most of the people Hinata is familiar with, so refrain from thinking that I was just cautious about you in particular," Hiashi responded curtly. "My point is, you both have heavy commitments that are not easily thrown aside. How can either of you expect to have a healthy marriage when the both of you are required to keep some sort of secret from one another, and not only that, when the both of you belong to separate villages and countries? We are familiar with each other, and Suna and Konoha are allies, but this is a bit of a stretch."

"I see what you're saying. I understand it, as well. I haven't planned out everything. I can't. I'm not a genius like Neji. In all honesty, I find myself to be a simple, average shinobi. But I will do anything to be with her. If it comes down to it, I will sever those ties I have to Sunagakure, regardless of how my fellows may feel." He looked away. "I've already told Gaara as much. Hell, I've told _her_. And now I've told you. Hinata means too much to me for me to just let her go."

The logistical side of Hiashi thought that Kankurō sounded like a love-sick moron right now, but the humane side of Hiashi thought that he sounded like a man in love. The logistical side wanted to bombard Kankurō with facts about how their union would never work, but the humane side wanted to make sure that the union would. He knew what he should do, and he knew what he wanted to do—what he had to do was make both sides merge. He sighed, his mind whirring through the only answer he could come up with. It would take him a lot of time, and a lot of patience, but he was intent on doing it.

"Five years," he finally said after a few minutes of deliberation. Kankurō raised a brow. "Give me five years. There are things I have to do in order to make this work for you and my daughter. In five years' time, you have my permission to marry Hinata. But not a moment before. There are things that you cannot understand the gravity of when it comes to you two, things that Hinata doesn't even know and I cannot and will not tell you. But I have a plan to make sure this benefits the two of you. All I ask is that you wait until Hinata is twenty-one years old. Wait until my tenure as clan head is up and Hinata can take control."

Kankurō nodded. "And then I can take her to be my wife?"

Hiashi nodded, agreeing. "And then you can take her to be your wife," he echoed.

* * *

If anything worried the great Uzumaki Naruto, it was when he was called by the Hokage late at night. While he knew that Tsunade was up at eleven still, drinking, but that didn't mean that she called anyone in. It was just not something that happened every day, especially not when Tsunade was this deep into her drinking. He was actually quite worried about it, to be completely honest.

"Naruto," said Shizune with a sigh of what sounded like relief. The Uzumaki might not be the most intelligent Leaf shinobi; but he was definitely good at spotting emotions. Shizune was definitely relieved, and Naruto wanted to know why that was. He did his best to quell his impatience, which he had been practicing a lot since becoming a Jōnin sensei, and smiled brightly at the older woman, one that he secretly saw as a sister of some sort. Shizune was always nice to him, and she sometimes paid for his food at Ichiraku's when Iruka was busy and he was broke. Besides that, Shizune was practically Tsunade's daughter, and as far as he understood he and Tsunade two of them were distant relatives, though he would always understand her to be his grandmother of some sort.

"Hello!" Naruto said happily. "Is baa-chan in there?" Mentally, he patted himself on the back. People called him an idiot, but he knew he could be an awesome actor when he wanted to be—it was just that he more preferred to tell the honest truth than anything.

"Yes. Be careful; she's very violent right now," Shizune said quickly.

"Isn't she always violent?" asked Naruto, confused.

"Yes, she is, but more so right now… because her alcohol stores are empty," admitted Shizune with a blush. "We're currently in the process of restocking. Also, last week her computer broke down, so she can't do any gambling simulators." Shizune's blush only deepened. Naruto could only figure that the assistant was flustered beyond belief. Tsunade was quite a handful sober, and she was worse without gambling. "I was going to wait to call you in when she had alcohol and her computer was working, but she insisted. I don't know why. But… just be careful. Her aim is good drunk, but it's impeccable when sober."

Naruto nodded, accepting the information, and approached the door with caution, lightly tapping on it. "Baa-chan?" he whispered, knowing she could hear him. The woman could hear everything. "Baa-chan, it's Naruto—" He was interrupted by the chair that suddenly burst through the wall next to the door, breaking through the foot-thick of plaster, drywall, wood and cardboard and badly damaging the paint job on the wall behind him. He shivered—his entire life flashed before his eyes. _If it had been any closer to the door… _"B-Baa-chan…?"

"UZUMAKI!" screamed Tsunade, making the Uzumaki in question flinch. "GET YOUR ASS IN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Naruto couldn't help but think about his days at the Academy with Iruka screaming at him for his mischief. It was the same words, but this time, he was both scared _and _innocent. To the best of his knowledge, he'd done absolutely nothing. Gulping down a rather small amount of his fear, he ignored the door and crawled through the two-meter wide hole Tsunade made through the wall, moving quickly to stand before Tsunade's desk.

"Y-Yes?" he asked, uncertain and afraid.

The golden eyes of Tsunade flashed with anger as she held up a purple book with a tight grip. "Have you been trying to write under Jiraiya's pen name again, Naruto?" she asked angrily. Naruto blinked, confused. He'd learned his lesson after the first time. All he was trying to do was feel like Jiraiya was living on, but after the ass-kicking he got from practically every female he knew, he decided to lay the Icha-Icha franchise to rest.

"N-No…" he said, letting his confusion leak into his voice. "You said that the next time I did that, you were going to kick my ass until I shit out of my mouth. Why would I want to after that?"

Tsunade's angry eyes flashed with confusion. "So… wait. You're telling me you didn't write this… 'Icha-Icha Palace', Naruto?" she asked. Naruto shook his head. "You didn't get spotted by a few Genin disguised as Jiraiya handing out crates to the authorized adult booksellers in the Land of Tea?"

Naruto only got more confused. "Pervy Sage never gave out his books to the booksellers himself, Baa-chan. His agent always got someone to do it for him. Did you contact his agent?"

"Yes. He said he received the manuscript from an anonymous source, like when you gave the manuscript for Icha-Icha Lifestyle. He said it was the same writing as like when you did it, and when Jiraiya did it." Tsunade put the book down, staring at it. "Where were you two weeks ago, Naruto?" she asked in quiet voice.

"Two weeks ago…? I was at a funeral. Sakura's private funeral, actually. Her parents only invited a few people, Sasuke and Ino included. You can ask them, if you want."

"No need. You don't really know how to lie that easily, Naruto," Tsunade said, her painted nail stroking the cover. "I know you're telling the truth, brat, which means one of two things. One, someone is masquerading as Jiraiya to get our attention—which is working. Or two, Jiraiya is, by some act of God, still alive and still churning out porn for dirty old men like himself and Kakashi to read." Naruto resisted the urge to say that Temari also read the Icha-Icha series, as did Hinata and Shikamaru, occasionally. It wouldn't help the moment's gravity. "Either which way, it's something that needs inspection." She flicked him a glance. "Naruto, you've often traveled with Jiraiya. You know his patterns as well as your father did, and definitely much better than I do. I have no doubts that in the future, you'll probably think like him too. The two of you are so similar that sometimes I forget that Namikaze Minato was your father." Naruto blushed. Did she just call him a toad-loving sex-crazed old fart?

"Do you want me to find him?" asked Naruto, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. It was shocking to hear that there was a chance that Jiraiya may be alive. An amazing shocker, actually.

"Yes, and I want you to bring him—whoever they are—back to Konoha with you. And…" She tapped her chin. "I want you to give Shikaru bijū-styled training."

Naruto blinked. "Eh?!" he asked, confused. "But… that'll take years!"

"I know. But we have to start thinking about the personality as like a demon. It's about as strong as one. That training is probably the only way he could ever hope to control that side of him, wouldn't you agree?"

"He's just a kid, Baa-chan," he said.

"You're just a kid, brat. Don't tell me what I already know. I wouldn't tell you to do it if I didn't think it would benefit him. Besides, tracking this guy will take a while, due to the fact that we have no information about him whatsoever. Consider Shikaru's training a side-mission." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "And if you find this man, and if he's really Jiraiya, he can help with any sort of sealing that needs to be done, and not only that; but help with the process of his training."

"Shi—_Obito_ hasn't even taken the Chūnin exams yet. I don't want him to be behind like I was. And he only just reconnected with his father." Naruto sighed. "Can I have a few months?"

Tsunade sighed as well. She noticed Naruto stopped himself from saying 'Shikaru', which leant Tsunade to figure that the boy decided to change his name. "Shizuka's leaving the village in three more months," she said, rubbing her temple. "That will definitely be after the exams. That is when you will leave for this mission. I don't expect you back until he's got control over himself _and_ you have Jiraiya, or Jiraiya's fake, or whatever it is. Am I perfectly clear?" Naruto nodded.

_More than, _Naruto thought.

**This is probably, like, the shortest chapter I've written for this in a while. **


	44. The End

Chapter 44: Of Strength

**So, here it is, my dear readers: the epilogue of 'Of Strength'. Thanks to EVERYONE for reading this story-you're all amazing, and you all have made me so dearly happy over the past six months. Thank you for sticking through this story, through thick and thin, and thank you for making my days by favoriting or following this. Hopefully, I'll see you all again, but for now... this is the end of this. **

**Special thanks goes out to ****TheGirlWithNoIQ**** and ****McKazekage****-honestly, you both made my days with your faithful reviewing! I know I've confused you plenty of times with this story (such as with the proposal-to clear up the confusion now, Kankuro is asking NOW for LATER. They're definitely engaged) but I sincerely hope you'll look in on the sequel, when I eventually get around to publishing it on here. I'm waiting to have more than the few chapters I have done until I begin the publication process, but if all goes well, I should have it up before the end of the month. This is the first time I've ever written a sequel story (whether FanFiction or original stories) so it'll be harder than publishing this. But I'm trying :)**

**And to that Guest reviewer who (assumedly) reviewed chapter 9 (and I believe chapter 4) on June 21st: I really wish you had an account on here, so I could've private-messaged you. I really hate it when I get a review like yours (it's amazing, don't worry) and I have to go figure out where to put my response so I can explain my reasons, and the reason being: yes, Hiashi is a shinobi. But Hiashi hasn't really been a fulltime shinobi for years, because he is the head of the Hyuga. Because he is the head, many people don't dare to overstep their bounds near him, especially with how scary he can be. Plus, his daughter is in the hospital, and his home was invaded. If he was expecting a punch, at that point, even as a shinobi, he'd have to be a freaking GOD! But, as I state a couple of times in my story (and also is one of the prevalent themes within) is that before he's a shinobi, he's a human being. You can't expect everything. I hope that kind of makes sense, but I do agree with you. And, honestly, it wasn't necessary-but I really wanted to. You can't tell me you've never thought of punching him :) I hope you enjoyed the story! **

**This chapter starts off like the first chapter in 'Of Strength'. But it isn't exactly the same. It ends much differently, but somehow similar. It's very short, though, sorry. I didn't want to bombard you guys with multiple character POVs for the last chappie. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. **

**Enjoy! **

Kankurō was not a fan of weaknesses. It probably had something to do with the fact that as the Kazekage's first-born son, he'd had no room to allow himself leisurely activities. From age four, Kankurō was taught that killing was something he would always have to do. He slept with a kunai under his pillow and defended himself. Anything about him that was considered to be weak was scrutinized intensively and dealt with brutally. He shivered when he remembered getting beat horribly for asking for something as so simple as a bandage for a small scrape on his knee.

Kankurō's weaknesses were hidden by him. Fear of being hurt? He became a long-distanced fighter; using puppetry and poisoned blades. Fear of his brother, Gaara? He stopped trying to be an older brother, distancing himself from his family to the point that the three siblings were nothing more than familiar strangers. Fear of his father? He simply avoided him, picking his sensei Baki to be his father figure. Fear of being recognized for having fears? He became a skeptic of anything he considered to be weak.

He was, therefore, a skeptic of a small, dark-haired girl who was sitting two rows from him during the Chūnin examinations. One look at her, one notice of a deep blush plaguing her unusually pale cheeks and nervousness crossing her beautiful large eyes, and Kankurō automatically thought that she was a weakling.

He could not have been more wrong about her. At the time, he hadn't known it, but she was the strongest girl he'd ever met before in his entire life. She was beautiful, smart, intelligent, and strong. She changed his entire prospective about what strength _really_ was based upon.

Strength wasn't about being more powerful than someone else. It wasn't about being able to hold their life in your hands. No, it was about a lot more—it was about knowing you did hold someone's life in your hands, but having the willpower to allow them to live. Strength was about putting aside what you might want for someone else. Strength was, at times, about chasing what you wanted with all your heart, despite how hard or how impossible might be. It was about the powers of human emotion, the purest of it all.

Most of all, strength was defined by one thing: love. Love was what made a person strong. Pure and true love is what drives people, as human beings, to make their loved ones proud of them. And this drive is known as strength. Many people of the world have this drive, but simply don't know it. It's a capacity within them that they have to find by themselves, a capacity to think about more than just themselves. It was a power to protect those one held closest to their hearts.

The funny thing about strength is, a truly strong individual cannot identify it in themselves. It is a trait noticed by the people around them. It is a trait recognized by the people one protects. This girl was strong. She didn't recognize it in herself, but she was, for she was the one who chased away the deepest, most hellish parts of darkness that he held within his heart, and filled it with love, with family, with people who he needed to protect. She stuck by him through the thick. She was important to him. She was like his arm, or his leg. She was his support in this world.

She sighed in her sleep and turned over, her cheek lying down upon his bare chest. He smiled down at her. She was a deadly woman. She had a list of kills longer than her leg. She could kill him with his pinky. She could change anyone; make them better than they were with just a few choice words. And yet, such a woman looked so delicate when asleep, so pure and untouched by the darkness of this world that he was almost fooled into thinking that she wasn't deadly at all.

Oh, but she was, and oh, how he loved her for it. For if she wasn't this person, he doubted he would've ever become the man she would fall in love with. He doubted he would've ever found such a happiness that came with being with her in such a capacity. He doubted he would've ever realized that he'd give a leg up to keep her, and all his gained loved ones, safe. He would've never become the Kankurō his mother had birthed him to become.

He carefully shifted out from underneath her, cradling his arm carefully on his arm. "I love you," he whispered to the gently sleeping girl. "I love you, my willpower… my sunshine… my strength… my Hina-hime." Moving slowly and carefully as not to wake her up, he kissed her on her forehead, her skin warm against his lips.

_Thank you, _he thought, _Thank you, my love…_

_Thank you, Hinata. _


	45. Rise Above

**I said I'd bring a bonus, so a bonus I shall bring. With hope, you've already read the epilogue. I did mention a sequel, I believe, several times. Well, I decided to include a small excerpt from the from the sequel story, 'Rise Above'. This is a part of a part in the whole of the first chapter, so forgive me for being very vague in this. But, please, do me the biggest favor... review. Just tell me if you like it. You'll really make my day if you do. And, if you haven't followed my profile yet, you should. It'll be easier for you, if you liked 'Of Strength' to be notified when the full story of 'Rise Above' is published. **

**The name of this chapter 'Surprise'. When eventually it's up in its entirety, you'll know why. **

She frowned behind her porcelain mask, crossing her arms over her chest. She could've been at home, spending time with Kankurō before he had to head back to Sunagakure with Gaara. She was engaged, after all; and as an engaged woman all she wanted to do was spend time with her future husband. But _no. _No, she had to spend time two kilometers off from a small village on the borders of the Land of Fire, close to the Land of Rivers keeping watch for shinobi.

"See anyone?" Hinata turned towards an older woman, close to Kakashi's age. She was beautiful, probably the prettiest woman Hinata had ever seen in her life, besides for her mother and for Kurenai. She offered her a cup of steaming tea. After a small amount of deliberation, she jumped down from the top of the scroll, nodding appreciatively as she took the tea, making the woman smile. "Did you see anyone, ANBU-sama?" Hinata shook her head and turned away from the woman, hiding her face from her as she sipped at the tea and then pulled back down her mask. The woman smiled. "Dog trained you, didn't he?" Hinata gave no reply, even though she wanted to. She had no way of knowing if the woman was a friendly or not. The woman sighed. "Dog jumped over the fence and whispered in the ear of the field," she said. Hinata flinched and looked at her, raising an eyebrow behind her owl mask.

"Did the field tell the ants?" Hinata finally said.

"Negative. The field told Owls in the night." She smiled, and Hinata sighed in relief. "Dog wants to confirm the whispers with Owl."

Hinata nodded and picked up the scroll, swinging it and carrying it underneath her elbow, fixing the strap of the scroll that hung across her back; a summoning scroll for the puppet Kankurō had made her. "You speak the black speak. Owl will speak to Dog," she said, gesturing for the woman to lead the way.

When Hinata had learned the older ANBU code, she hadn't expected it to be half as much use as it really had. What she found was that Kakashi used it to transfer information to her when he didn't want Shikamaru and Neji hearing it, and usually it was very beneficial information. This code had gone out of use about two years before her birth due to its over-simplicity, a simplicity that was actually hard to understand if one wasn't trained to listen to it properly. When the woman said 'Dog jumped over the fence and whispered in the ear of the field,' it'd basically meant that Kakashi was, in fact, an ally to this woman, whose name more than likely contained 'Nohara'. When Hinata asked if the field told the ants, she'd asked if she told anyone else besides herself and therefore put some at risk. However, the woman said that the only person she'd told was Hinata, the Owl, in private and in the shadows.

'Dog wants to confirm the whispers with Owl,' meant that she was going to take her to see Kakashi so he could make her know for sure that this woman—Nohara—was to be trusted. 'You speak the black speak', basically, meant that her terminology with the code was correct for the style that Kakashi had taught her, black meaning 'off the books and in the shadows' due to the fact that the code form wasn't official any longer in Konoha. 'Owl will speak to Dog'—straightforward. She'd speak to Kakashi and she'd clear the info she was just given.

Kakashi sat at the kitchen island, his dog's mask covering up his regular mask. "The fields whispered to the Owls the black speak of the Dogs," Hinata said, not wasting any time. "She claims not to speak to the ants. The Owls wants to ask the Dogs if the fields should be allowed to whisper in the night to them."

"The fields can speak to the Owls over the fences," Kakashi said, forming quick seals before he removed his mask. "I've placed a genjutsu. No one will hear or see us. You can take off your mask, she's trusty." Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as she took off her own mask, pushing her bangs off of her face. "Rin, this is my apprentice, Hyūga Hinata. Hinata, this is my ex-teammate, Nohara Rin."


	46. We Rise Above is Out

**So. Hi. **

**I feel incredibly petty doing this, but, I just want you guys to know that the sequel is up, titled "We Rise Above". **

**Sorry to bother you. **

**To feel less petty, I'm putting up a second preview from the story. **

**Preview #2-excerpt from Chapter 3 (Legends Pt. 1)**

Naruto believes in the power of a legend. People are created by other people, and Naruto knows this. He also knows that people are simply the result of their surroundings, and what they do with this result is what makes their legends known by the world. He also believes that there are no such things as an ending when it comes to a legend. So long as humankind has faith, he thinks that a legend lives on and never closes—never dies. Therefore—Naruto believes that the legend of the Bloodied-Eyed Demon of the Earth is not over. Rather, it is simply beginning. While it may come from bad routes, it is destined to become something greater still.

Naruto is very much aware of the fact that the Demon in question does not feel the same way; nor does Naruto expect him to. His student is the self-depreciative type… no. Actually, self-depreciative isn't the right terminology. He doesn't know what to call his student. Self-depreciative is too little of a descriptor, but self-hating is far too much. He only hates one side of himself, after all; and from what Naruto can see he was changing that opinion rapidly. He wished that there was a middle option, between depreciation and hatred, but there really isn't.

It doesn't truly matter, Naruto finally figures. What mattered was what this kid was the definition of, not what defined him, and Naruto knew him to be the anti-hero archetype; often showcased in the best legends. This boy would make as much of a difference as Naruto knew he'd made himself upon the world of the shinobi. Actually, he already had made this difference already. Naruto was an idiot, and even he could see this. He could see this kid would leave. He could see that this kid was going to leave a legend that would never die—

The legend of Nara Obito.


End file.
